During my time working and living in Mexico, I would often hear about US highways. I learned in conversation that many middle class and professional Mexicans drove to the US, went shopping and travelled around the US in their early 1980's Ford LTD cars.
How many times did I hear people complimenting those clean and well paved US roads? A lot!
Americans can indeed take it for granted. For example, you can drive from Atlanta to LA on I-10 and stay in San Antonio. Or, you can start in Minneapolis and drive straight to Laredo on I-35. Or you can the Atlantic coastline from Maine to Miami on I-95. Or you can see the Pacific Oeean from San Diego to Seattle on I-5.
It is really a great transportation system and something that Americans should be very proud of and learned that many of my Mexican friends very impressed with.
It started when the US Senate approved The Federal Highway Act this week in 1956. The US House approved it on a voice vote the next day. I guess that everyone was "on board" to start building those highways that connected the country from coast to coast and Mexico to Canada.
Looking back, this is how the federal government should work. You propose an idea, discuss it openly and pay for it by raising taxes. Overall, a good idea that benefited the country and impressed the heck out of the Mexicans.
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