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IGHWAY RAL
ITTE L N O V
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Forest Park Parkway cutting through the northeast end of Forest Park, November 2017.
ST. LOUIS, HOME OF THE NATIONS’ FIRST INTERST THE DISRUPTIVE HIGHWAY 4
TATE
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ST. LOUIS HAS 1,180 MILES OF INTERSTATE WITHIN CITY LIMITS
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Forest Park Parkway and the MetroLink cutting through the northeast end of Forest Park, St. Louis, November 2017.
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UP TO 175,000 VEHICLES DRIVE ON ST. LOUIS HIGHWAYS EVERY DAY
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EVERY MILE OF ST. LOUIS HIGHWAY REQUIRES 21,000 CUBIC YARDS OF CEMENT
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Underneath Interstate 270, Gratiot Street and Lombard Street St. Louis, November 2017.
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ST. LOUIS IS HOM 24.7 MILLION CU OF INTERSTATE THE DISRUPTIVE HIGHWAY 12
ME TO UBIC YARDS CEMENT
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St. Agatha’s Catholic Church and Interstate 64, St. Louis, November 2017.
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NATIONWIDE, OVER 475,000 HOUSEHOLDS WERE DISPLACED TO MAKE WAY FOR THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM
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THE DISRUP HIGHW
a photographic study of the st. louis interstat
PTIVE WAY
te system
MISSOURI ROADS BEFORE THE INTERSTATE SYSTEM When the Missouri State Highway Department
Route 40, and Missouri State Highway Number
was created in 1921, the state’s roads were in
14 became U.S. Route 66. These roads allowed
poor condition. Each county built and main-
drivers to travel beyond the state’s borders, but
tained its own road system, leading to a jumbled,
they were not modern superhighways. Instead,
uncoordinated tangle of highways that made it
these early “interstate” roads were usually 18-
extremely difficult to drive across the state. The
feet wide with minimal shoulders. These roads
highway department immediately set out to im-
also followed local topography, making them
prove this situation by paving as many roads as
a hilly, winding challenge for Missouri drivers.
possible and by constructing highways to link all
Deadly accidents were common on these roads.
of Missouri’s county seats. Some of these early
For example, some stretches of Route 66 within
roads became part of America’s first cross-coun-
Missouri were referred to locally as “Bloody 66”
try highway system. In 1926, the federal
for the large number of fatalities that occurred.
government laid out a grid of highways that ran
Clearly Missouri needed to improve its highways
between the individual states. These roads were
to carry increasing loads of traffic. In the late
designated as United States highways, but no
1950s, the federal government stepped forward
federal funding was included for their construc-
to help build a national system of superhighways
tion or improvement.
that offered hope for quicker, safer travel.
In Missouri, several routes were given new names as part of this program. For example, Missouri State Highway Number 2 was renamed U.S.
Forest Park Parkway and Forest Park, November 2017.
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St. Agatha’s Catholic Church and Interstate 64, St. Louis, November 2017.
BUILDING THE RURAL INTERSTATES During the late 1950s and early 1960s, the
designated interchanges. In addition, federal
Missouri State Highway Department began
rules called for the interstate highways to
to build interstate highways throughout rural
feature two 12-foot driving lanes in each
Missouri. The initial projects chosen by the
direction divided by a median at least 36-feet
department for interstate upgrades were the
wide. Route 66 and Route 40 needed to be
major highways between Missouri’s three
expanded to meet these new standards, and
largest urban centers - St. Louis, Kansas City
the work proved to be challenging for Missou-
and Springfield. Although U.S. Highways 40
ri’s highway designers and engineers.
and 66 already connected these cities, the
When the interstate system was built, the
older roadways did not meet the standards of
project reflected a new road building philos-
the interstate system. The interstate system
ophy. Highways built in the first half of the
called for fully controlled access, meaning
20th century usually followed the lay of the
that vehicles could enter the road only at
land, and roadways were often curvy, hilly
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challenges for drivers attempting to cross the
lives. Missouri’s rural interstates were built right
nation. Interstate highways, in contrast, were
through the countryside, often taking land from
to be smooth, straight expressways designed
farms that had been in families for generations.
for unimpeded high-speed travel.
Farmers were not happy to have a ribbon of
To meet the need for high-speed traffic
concrete cut through their property, and many
movement, highway builders had to overcome
refused to sell right of way for interstate projects.
the challenges of Missouri’s varied topography.
In addition, rural residents objected to losing
Constructing a divided highway to rigid federal
immediate access to Missouri’s highway sys-
standards through rough Ozarkian terrain meant
tems. Farmers were used to being able to drive
that hills had to be leveled, valleys filled in and
onto highways at any point along the road, and
scores of bridges and culverts built across
they disliked having to drive on frontage roads or
Missouri’s numerous waterways. Fortunately,
side roads to access the interstate system. The
Missouri’s road builders were ready to face
interstates were designed to carry traffic across
this construction challenge. The department
the state quickly and efficiently, and the farmers’
had already built a divided highway through a
needs for easy highway access did not enter into
mountain in the early 1940s when it con-
the equation.
structed Hooker Cut along Route 66 in Pulaski
Finally, many rural residents saw the inter-
County. New equipment developed just for the
states as a threat to the economic survival of
construction of interstate highways, such as
Missouri’s small towns. U.S. highways often
huge scrapers, and earthmovers were turned
passed directly through such towns, and many
loose, and soon the path was clear for concrete
service industries sprang up to serve travel-
to be laid across the countryside. Construction
ers. The interstate system, however, usually
of rural interstates ultimately proved to be the
bypassed small towns, carrying traffic away from
largest earthmoving project ever, with more than
them. Businesses in small towns lost a signif-
42 billion cubic yards of earth moved to make
icant portion of their potential customer base,
way for the interstate system.
leading to widespread economic decline. In
Although Missouri’s drivers were excited
the long run, all Missourians benefited from the
about having high-speed interstate highways
interstate system, but when it was built, many
link their largest cities, many rural Missourians
rural residents saw it as a disaster for their local
were less enthusiastic about the impacts that
community and a threat to their survival.
the interstate system would have upon their
Forest Park Parkway and apartment buildings in St. Louis , November 2017.
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Forest Park Parkway and the MetroLink cutting through the northeast end of Forest Park, St. Louis, November 2017.
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Forest Park Parkway cutting through the northeast end of Forest Park, St. THELouis, DISRUPTIVE HIGHWAY November 2017. 27
BUILDING THE URBAN INTERSTATES By the late 1960s, work was almost complete
ing segments of the historic Robidoux Row.
on Missouri’s primary rural interstates, I-70
Historic buildings were also leveled in Kansas
and I-44. Additional rural interstate work would
City’s Quality Hill neighborhood to make way
continue up into the 1980s on other key routes
for new interstate highways, becoming part of
such as I-29, I-35, I-55 and I-57. However,
Missouri’s history that had to be sacrificed to
in the early 1960s the highway department
make way for the interstate system.
turned its attention to accomplishing another task, building interstate beltways to ease traffic
In addition, the construction of urban interstate highways frequently led to the destruction
in Missouri’s major urban centers. Although
of vibrant, working-class neighborhoods in
the interstate system was officially created as
both St. Louis and Kansas City. Interstate
a way to promote quick, efficient cross-country
construction disproportionately affected poor,
travel, the system was also to feature beltways
ethnic residents in urban areas. Highway
and loops around and through America’s major
planners wanted to keep costs low, so they
cities to help ease traffic conditions for com-
designed roads that went through depressed
muters in urban and suburban areas. Even
neighborhoods where property values were
before the highway department began to build
low and right of way could be acquired cheaply.
the interstates, local governments in St. Louis
Thus, minority neighborhoods were often split
and Kansas City had constructed several urban
by interstate highway projects, and many local
expressways, and these expressways were
residents lost their homes to highway con-
often integrated into the interstate system.
struction. Urban residents complained as new
Work on Missouri’s urban interstates con-
highways ripped apart their neighborhoods,
tinued throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and
leading some to conclude that interstates
many suburban residents welcomed these new
were the “white men’s roads through black
roads with open arms as they made it easier to
men’s homes.” Anger over the destruction
commute between their homes and their jobs.
of local neighborhoods eventually led to a
City planners also welcomed the interstates in
lawsuit against the Missouri State Highway
St. Louis and Kansas City, believing that they
Department claiming that department officials
would spark the renewal of depressed down-
deliberately built highways in Kansas City to
town and central city neighborhoods. However,
guarantee racial segregation in local schools
construction of the interstates through Missou-
and to ensure that the economic burdens
ri’s cities often led to the demolition of historic
would fall primarily on black residents. Al-
buildings. One example of this occurred in St.
though the lawsuit was dismissed, racial and
Joseph when construction of I-229 destroyed
economic justice issues continued to haunt the
several historic buildings and districts, includ-
department throughout construction.
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Saint Mary of Victories Catholic Church, St. Louis, November 2017.
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LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Roll Call newspaper, a publication containing
pollution and climate change and cementing
Congressional news and information, re-
the strategic importance of the Middle East.”
cently printed an article listing the 10 most
Missouri’s interstate system has been
important pieces of legislation during the
a significant player in the transportation
past half-century. Fourth on the list was the
arena and an important contributor to the
Federal-Aid Highway Act passed in 1956.
nation’s technological, economical and social
In listing the bill among the top 10, the
advances. While the interstates have been
newspaper said, “Its title is obscure, but its
both a boon and a bust for business, they con-
impact is not: The act created the Interstate
tinue to be an important facet of Missouri’s
Highway System, which touched virtually every
economy, social well-being and recreation and
aspect of American life in the past 50 years.
tourism industries.
Faster roads intensified economic growth, boosted domestic tourism and made possible
But problems loom. We have not provided the necessary resources to keep our inter-
just-in-time manufacturing processes. Inter-
state infrastructure in optimum condition,
states also produced suburbanization, which
causing congestion, injuries and fatalities and
dramatically changed lifestyles (more space,
economic loss. We’re at a crossroads, requir-
but longer commutes), drove downtowns into
ing critical decisions to be made. Do we con-
decline and led to the development of previ-
tinue with the status quo and risk losing the
ously empty land. Population shifted to the
benefits generated by our interstates or do we
Sun Belt, changing the nation’s political bal-
step up to the plate to invest in a system that
ance. And the Interstates irreversibly solidified
will keep Missouri and the nation growing in a
the primacy of the automobile, worsening air
positive direction for years to come?
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Left: Forest Park Parkway and the MetroLink cutting through the northeast end of Forest Park, St. Louis, November 2017. Right: Saint Mary of Victories Catholic Church, St. Louis, November 2017.
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The font used is Franklin Gothic URW. The body text used is from the Missouri Department of Transportation website. This book was made by Devon Litteral for the Content to Cover class at Washington University in St. Louis Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. All photography Š Devon Litteral 2017.