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Quote by: Chancellor  |
The first paragraph on page two of the document referred to the need for better roads in case of nuclear attack. National defense is also a primary function of the federal government, and a legitimate reason for a federally supervised and partially funded system of roads, highways, bridges, and tunnels. However, Eisenhower's document placed road safety and lower transportation costs ahead of national security as reasons for the interstate system. All these arguments can be traced back to the first National Road in the early 19th century, an important precedent for later federal projects.
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Quote by: Chancellor One thing President Eisenhower said in his letter to Congress was, "...the Governors in July of last year at my request began a study of both the problem and methods by which the Federal Government might assist the States in its solution" (http://www.eisenhower.utexas.edu/dl/...ys22255pg1.pdf). Notice that the states were very much involved in coming up with the system. The role of the federal government was to assist the states, clearly indicating the primary responsibility was at the state level. |
Yes, it's a cooperative system involving the federal/state/local jurisdictions. But nowhere in the document does it say that the state's must bear the lion's share of the cost for building and maintaining federally mandated roads. Federal money was always part of the deal, just as it was with the old National Road. The states and localities had some leeway on how and when the monies were spent, but the feds wanted accountability on design, materials, and timetables. And they had the right to inspect every single project to ensure compliance. Without federal coordination and financial aid, our nation would have never built the finest system of roads in the world.