After 50 Years of Success, Interstate Anniversary Prompts Discussion of Nation's Transportation Future

WASHINGTON--June 28, 2006--This historic 50th anniversary of the Interstate Highway System provides an occasion to reflect on the success of the interstate, but AAA says it is also time to turn to the future of transportation.

"As impressive as our Interstate may be, it's stretched to its limit and in some places, way beyond its limits," said Robert Darbelnet, president and CEO of AAA at a speech at a policy forum on the Interstate Highway system in Washington, D.C. "As it ages, the actual demands we are placing on it are increasing. As a result, the challenges ahead are daunting and the stakes are high. Investment dollars are at a premium."

Darbelnet said motorists' willingness to make additional funding contributions to our road network will depend on four basic things: 1) safer more efficient roads and reduced congestion, 2) expenditures managed wisely without diversions, 3) all who benefit from our roadways must contribute equitably to the funding effort, and 4) the users must have a voice from the beginning as transportation decisions are made.

"What is missing is adequate funding and agreement on how to achieve it," said Darbelnet. "New and innovative ways of financing the future of transportation will be required. The extent to which they are embraced will be directly proportional to the degree to which the public understands and accepts them."

A True American Success Story

It is hard to imagine that the early 1900s vision of young Army officer, Dwight D. Eisenhower, to create a national highway defense infrastructure system became a reality fifty years later. This same visionary, who became President Eisenhower, signed into law by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, creating what became known as the Interstate System.

"The 46,000 miles of Interstate highways that crisscross the nation are the workhorse of our nation's transportation system," said Darbelnet. "It provides the mobility essential to maintain and grow as a vibrant economy. If Dwight Eisenhower were with us today, he would no doubt be pleased to see that his vision of a nation connected by a network of super highways is a reality. Moreover, I believe he would expect us to be wise stewards of the legacy he left us."

AAA Was There for the Journey

AAA can trace its roots to 1902 as a federation of motor clubs founded to advocate for improvements in the nation's roads. A hallmark of this advocacy came in the 1950s when AAA was among the leaders in the transportation community supporting the federal legislation creating the interstate system.

AAA's grassroots advocacy campaign urged members to contact members of congress in support of the association's recommendations outlined in its "Program for Better Highways" which called for a balanced program to improve an outmoded highway system with as little delay as possible.

"We are committed to the Interstate now as we were then and on behalf of the American motorist, rest assured that we will play an active role in the debate the needs to occur regarding future funding," said Darbelnet. "The interstate is much more than concrete or the marvels of engineering and design. It enables Americans to work in one place, live in another, and vacation or play in another. More importantly, it's a legacy for those of us here to preserve and enhance."

As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 49 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.