For those of you in the know, well, you get this stuff, especially if you are in the eastern half of the nation where there is a good blend of the old and new systems of road. For those of you not in the know, let's just imagine you've been trapped in a timeshare presentation, and you can't leave until the sellers have made every effort to get you to buy....please?
1926: a system of roads begins to develop throughout the United States called Interstate Shield routes. As time went on, this system grew and grew, aided much by the public works programs during the Depression. One reason for this system was that as the number of automobiles on the roads increased, the system of dirt or cobblestone roads were inadequate for travel. Plus, good ole Dwight Eisenhower and a bunch of troops tried to take the Lincoln Highway from the east to west coasts in 1919...the trip took 2 months and suffered broken bridges and vehicles stuck in the mud.. Now this sounds like an average day in Las Vegas after a rare storm even in 2014, but back then it was absolutely inexcusable for the military with DDE high in the ranks. So, the system grew and grew and by the early 1950s the system was well in place. It took a while because World War 2 most likely put a stop on domestic construction and put a focus on military support.
This system of roads was now the norm and was what the public used for major travel by road. It was certainly better than the old system. The Okies used U.S. 66 to California to find work on the farms in "The Grapes of Wrath". In fact, route 66 became a legend unto itself, a road of culture, a main road from the east to the west and back, a Bobby Troup tune, and a loose basis for a TV show.
Was all hunky dory? Heavens no! This new road system was of course paved and well maintained. However, problems were aplenty. For instance, in mountainous regions such as the Rockies, U.S. 6 is a windy, treacherous route, especially for truckers, over the high passes. 66 also had high passes in New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
Apart from treacherous mountain terrain, U.S. Shield routes go through lots of towns. Now, if you're taking a short jaunt somewhere, it is not a huge deal. However, if you are traveling 100 or more miles or going transcontinental, these routes are a MAJOR pain when dropping down to 25 miles per hour going through a small burg that also acts as a speed trap! I have driven from Las Vegas to Reno a few times on U.S. 95. This is 450 miles through mostly barren terrain that roaches won't even touch. However, when going through Indian Springs, Beatty, Goldfield, Tonopah, and Hawthorne, there is a HUGE speed limit drop. Believe me, you can't get through the desert fast enough, not even with a good music selection. Unfortunately, the Las Vegas-Reno drive is unlikely to change.
Enter Eisenhower once again. In 1956, with enlightenment from seeing the German Autobahn during the war, he enacted the construction of the Interstate Highway System. This new system of roads would make travel around the nation more efficient, especially for military and emergency purposes. Mountainous travel would be especially better with less intense curves and grades. Plus, access to and from these 4+ lane roads would be limited. via ramps and overpasses instead of lights and stop signs. In fact, the Pennsylvania Turnpike was the blueprint for this system and that had opened in 1940 with 160 miles of nonstop travel. By the early 1970s, a driver could drive through the Eisenhower tunnel on Interstate 70 instead of taking U.S. 6 up the deadly Loveland Pass. The Interstate system also used a shield symbol, but it was with the flag colors, the black and white like the old shield symbols.
Unfortunately, much of the original Interstate system was 2 lanes each way and that just didn't work in high-traffic areas. Case in point: most California major metro areas needed 3 or 4 lanes per direction. Interstate 5 got a major rehab in the late 90s in the L.A. area....and it is STILL congested! Interstate 15 is still 2 lanes between the CA/NV state line and Barstow, and traffic to Vegas on Friday and back to CA on Sunday is horrendous.
Another downside to the efficient interstates is that they bypass towns. Here, there is some debate on whether this is a downside. For those in a hurry to get somewhere on a long trip, they want to go past many of those towns without hitting the brake pedal. However, one must look at the economics. Small towns rely not only on local dollars, but visitor dollars as well. Once again, look at U.S. 66, which in many places was bypassed by Interstates 10, 15, 40, 44, and 55. Many of the towns 66 went through suffered, particularly from Texas on west. These towns once flourished with mom and pop motels, diners, and trinket merchants. Now, these towns' centers are practically ghost towns served by the interstates' business loops, which hold modern business chains at either end.
I have actually traveled most of 66 in California with the exception of deepest L.A. proper. Foothill Blvd between San Dimas and San Bernardino remains busy, with modern businesses and a widened layout. It is Mt. Vernon Avenue up to Devore where I-15 takes over. There is a stretch containing Kenwood and Cleghorn Avenues before once again returning to 15 to climb Cajon Pass. Here, I am grateful for the 4 lanes of climbing! In Victorville, 66 ventures on its own for an almost 40 mile scenic route in the desert to Barstow. There, it is I-40 with a few independent stretches for 50 miles to Ludlow, where it again strikes out on its own for quite a long stretch before it meets U.S. 95 before traveling back to 40 to reach Needles.
From Needles, one could take 66 into Arizona and climb into Oatman and some very narrow curves before reaching Kingman, and then stay on its own to Williams, almost making it to Flagstaff. Incidentally, the Oatman stretch was bypassed due to its dangerous narrow curves in 1953. That's as far as I've taken on 66. I've looked on maps to see if there is an old way to get from San Diego to Las Vegas without taking an Interstate...there isn't! Minus the independent stretches of old U.S. 395, 91, and the aforementioned 66, I-15 is really the only game in town for that drive.
Of course, some U.S. routes themselves have become freeways. The perfect example is U.S. 101 in California. It once reached San Diego, but was cut back to starting in Downtown Los Angeles. From there it is a freeway or at-grade expressway all the way to San Francisco. Once it crosses the Golden Gate Bridge, 101 is again a freeway/expressway all the way to southern Mendocino County, then becomes a beautiful 2-lane highway, then again a freeway 80 miles to Eureka. From Arcata onward, 101 is 2-lane all the way to Olympia, Washngton Here and there, however, there are movements (hopefully not bowel) to build bypasses around the towns 101 passes through. On these, I disagree. The terrain 101 passes through is just 3 notches above beautiful, even the towns themselves.
So, Interstate shield or U.S. shield? I guess it depends on what you want in a drive. In some instances, U.S. is the only way to go, like U.S. 95 from Vegas to Reno where there is not a multi-lane alternative. If there is a choice, what would you take? Let me ask my wife....never mind, she's back to her game!
