Construction of the US Interstate Highway System did not begin until after passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 and was not declared complete until 1992.

I think there is a miscommunication or misunderstanding by some posts between the U.S. Highway System[0] and the Interstate Highway System[1]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Numbered_Highway...

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System

I estimated based on my memory of reading about the construction process at rest areas here in ND. Via Wikipedia now, it looks like I was about right. Construction of the very first segments started in 1956. Various milestones were accomplished throughout the 70s and 80s, and not even official "completion" until the 1992, though I'm sure that was just a few segments here and there for the last 5-10 years.

In terms of having a substantial system of highways in place out that transformed traveling lifestyles for an age group of children, the general "growing up in the 80s" still seems about right.

I wonder what 1946 song (Get your kicks on) Route 66 is about.

Are you people not Americans? Do you have any idea how big car travel is here and how it's been happening way, way, before the 70's and 80's?

My parents drove out to Yellowstone with my grandparents a very long time ago.

Route 66 wasnt even fully paved for the first decade of its existence, and was never an interstate. I dont think anyone here thinks travel by car was invented in the 1970s.

I think people are just not very aware of the past including their grandfathers generation these days.

My grandfather was a college lecturer and would plan massive road trips each summer in the 60s to all the national parks. These days I doubt a college lecturer could take summer off

>> Are you people not Americans?

> I think people are just not very aware of the past including their grandfathers generation these days.

It feels surreal to have to even state this, but "being American" does not require that one's grandparents grew up in America. Being a first or second generation immigrant does not make one less "American"

Errr soooo yeah the context is how today’s American family outings compares to American family outings of decades past…

So you’re right the wording was bad, i wasn’t the one that said “not Americans” but I think that person was confused why so many are making flat out incorrect comments like they don’t know anything about America.

My comments was trying to say, “no even multigenerational Americans often don’t know what their grandparents generation was like.”

In this context of comparing American vacations across time periods, the group you’re talking about, Recent immigrants, I would hope aren’t commenting because very few would have researched the topic of American vacations from 1920 to 1980.

That's fair; I probably could have just replied directly to the parent you were replying to rather than to you.

Not American but I know that car reliability has improved to the point where motels and roadhouses have largely faded away from the highways as people are able to travel further more reliability.

Construction started on Interstate system in 1956, and it'd be a while before it was complete enough to be usable.

In many cases, bridges were more influential in enabling road trips than interstates (or any highways) The Delaware Memorial Bridge allowed ferry-free driving from DC to New York in 1951. (And the NJ Turnpike, which opened the same year, is not a part of the federal Interstate system)

That's fair. I didn't address that because the GP post specifically said "interstate", and I didn't feel that the parent post was critiquing the broader point that lots of infrastructure projects between the 1930s and 1980s made travel more palatable, but specifically the association of the interstate system with the 1980s.

US Highway system was not declared complete till 1992

US Interstates are different from US Highways.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Numbered_Highway... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System

The difference between 'essentially complete' and 'declared complete' is stuff like 'bypass around small town in Idaho': https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2949

US 59 north out of Houston may be upgraded to an Interstate soon. The overall plan is called the NAFTA Superhighway because it would be a great connection between the populated parts Mexico and Canada.

I guess they'll have to get a new number if that happens. Interstate 59 already exists, running from Louisiana to Georgia. I'm kind of curious what that process looks like.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_59

Google maps already has it as Interstate 69 through Houston, and transitioning back to a state route north and south of the city. The actual numbering system is very simple, and explained at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fn_30AD7Pk