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The 50th Anniversary logo is a red and blue shield with '50th' in the center. The following text surrounds the shield: 'Celebrating 50 Years Eisenhower Interstate System, 1956-2006' This flash presentation features images of fireworks explosions that are part of the header for the 50th Anniversary home page. Celebrating 50 Years: The Eisenhower Interstate System

Welcome to the Interstate 50th Anniversary Web site


Presidential letter of June 23, 2006, commemorating the 5Oth anniversary of the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways. By selecting this image you can link to a textual version of this letter.

J. Richard Capka
 J. Richard Capka 		I invite you to explore this Web site devoted to the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways on its 50th anniversary. From the start on June 29, 1956, the Eisenhower Interstate System has been known as the Greatest Public Works Project in History. On this Web site, you will find information about the history of the Eisenhower Interstate System and how it affects each of our lives daily, not just as a means of travel, but as a part of our culture and the American way of life.

This Web site is dedicated to the visionaries and leaders of past generations who created and funded the Interstate System as well as the State and Federal officials, private contractors, and members of national organizations who helped make the United States the most mobile country in the world. As we honor the past, there is no higher calling for those of us in the present generation of transportation officials than to ensure Eisenhower Interstate System continues to serve America for decades to come.

J. Richard Capka
Administrator


Watch Mr. Capka's recent interview on C-SPAN's Washington Journal, discussing past, present and future of the Nation's Interstate System (29 minutes).

Free versions of the Real Media Player and Windows Media Player are available for download.

Interstate Fact of the Day

The two-lane West Virginia Turnpike (I-77) opened on November 8, 1954.  The project to upgrade the turnpike to four lanes was completed on September 2, 1987.  During a ceremony in Sharon, Highway Commissioner William Ritchie called the upgrading "the toughest, hardest, meanest construction job" in the State's history.




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