School is almost out, and so that means vacation travel for many families. Here is a short quiz, hopefully to help you gain a little knowledge of the hiGHway and interstate system, and put you on the right road!
1. True or false: With numbering themes used for interstates and highways, which numbers travel east-west and which travel north-south? Even numbers (I-4, I-8, I-10, etc.) travel east-west, and odd numbers travel north-south (I-5, I-15, I-17, I-19, etc.).
2. True or False: The Interstate Highway shield was designed by Richard Oliver of Texas as a black and white shield; the red, white, and blue version was approved by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) in 1957, and it is trademarked.
3. True or False: One mile of every five miles of Interstate highway must be straight enough to allow planes to land on it.
4. True or False: All overpasses must have a 16.5-foot vertical clearance above the freeway (14-foot overpasses are permissible within urban areas) to allow the huge military atomic cannon to pass cleanly under an overpass.
5. How many underwater tunnels exist in the United States? 8; 10; 11; 13.
6. Which state was the first to complete its mainline interstate system at a cost of $35 million? New York; Pennsylvania; Washington D. C.; Nebraska?
7. What is the shortest two-digit Interstate route in the United States? I-97 Annapolis to Baltimore, Md.; I-99 Bedford to Bald Eagle, Pa; I-73 Emery to Greensboro, N.C.; I-19 Nogales to Tucson, Ariz.?
8. Which state has the most Interstate mileage? California; Illinois; Texas; Florida?
9. What is the average amount of concrete poured into a mile of Interstate? 5,000 tons; 100,000 tons; 1.5 million tons; 3 million tons?
10. Which president signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 (creating today’s interstate system), while recovering from an illness in a hospital? Harry S. Truman; Dwight D. Eisenhower; John F. Kennedy.
ANSWERS
1. True. Routes ending in “0” are major east-west routes (I-10, I-20, I-40, I-70, I-80, I-90). Routes ending in “5” are major north-south routes (I-5, I-15, I-25, I-35, I-55, I-65, I-75, I-85, I-95). Lower numbered routes are generally located in the south and west, and higher numbered routes are generally located in the north and east. Interstate highways were intentionally numbered so that they would not conflict with the preexisting U.S. Numbered System. In fact, the intent was that no Interstate Highway and U.S. Highway would share the same number within the same state. 2. True. 3. False. This is an urban legend. 4. True. Although the atomic cannon is no longer used, the standard remains. If an overpass cannot be upgraded to accommodate 16.5 feet, then there must be exit and re-entry ramps that allow high profile vehicles to leave the freeway and rejoin the freeway on the other side of the overpass. 5. Eleven. They are: I-10 in Mobile, Ala.; 1-64 near Norfolk and Hampton Roads, Va. I-78, under the Hudson River which flows between New Jersey and New York; I-90 in the Boston Harbor (Big Dig); I-95 in Baltimore, Md.; I-264, Elizabeth River Tunnel in Norfolk, Va.; I-478 Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in New York; I-495, Lincoln Tunnel between New Jersey and New York - former route (now NJ 495/NY 495); I-495, Queens Midtown Tunnel under East River in New York City - former route (now NY 495); I-664 Monitor Merrimac Tunnel near Norfolk and Hampton Roads, Virginia; I-895, Baltimore Harbor Tunnel in Baltimore, Md. 6. Nebraska was the “first state in the nation to complete its mainline interstate system. Work began in 1957, and the final link was dedicated on October 19, 1974. 7. I-97 Annapolis to Baltimore, Md. is only 17.62 miles. 8. Texas totals up to 17 routes with 3,233.45 miles. 9. That would be 3 million tons of concrete into each mile. 10. President Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 on June 29, 1956.