Road vs. Community

The post-war years of 1945-1956 were a time of unprecedented new road construction. The lifting of wartime gas rationing coupled with returning and often footloose GIs led to a boom in car travel. With this rise in car traffic came a demand for road improvements. Individual states took the lead in repairing and redesigning their infrastructure. These efforts were given a tremendous boost by the passage of the 1956 Federal Highway Act, which allocated money and set guidlines for the construction of an interstate highway system.
New Road Construction, 1946