Southwest's Interstate Highways

Reach Golden Anniversary

by Sue Kern-Fleischer

1956 was a memorable year. The New York Yankees defeated the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series. Elvis Presley made his television debut. The federal minimum wage was $1. It was also the year that the first transatlantic telephone cable went into operation.

And in June of that year, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act, which paved the way for the creation of the interstate highway system.

New Mexico GRIP's the Future

When the Federal-Aid Highway Act was passed in 1956, New Mexico's population was near 700,000. Now, more than 1.9 million people reside in the "Land of Enchantment."

As the nation celebrates the 50th anniversary of the interstate system, New Mexico is already planning for the next five decades. Gov. Bill Richardson's Investment Partnership, also known as GRIP, is a $1.6 billion statewide transportation expansion and infrastructure improvement project that was supported by nearly 100 cities, counties, business groups and chambers of commerce across New Mexico.

The New Mexico Legislature approved GRIP in October 2003 and Richardson signed it into law. GRIP includes 42 expansion and critical infrastructure improvement projects with more than 100 construction contracts across the state.

Mike Gibson, executive director of the Associated General Contractors of New Mexico, said AGC is the "go-to" organization in building and maintaining New Mexico's vital infrastructure.

"We represent 200 highway contractors and 15,000 employees," he added. "We are the resource arm for highway construction."

He credited Richardson for earmarking substantial funds to both interstate and highway construction throughout the state.

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"I'm impressed with the overall commitment by the governor, our Legislature and local government to identify resources to build and maintain our roads," Gibson said. "That investment in roads and interstates is paying huge dividends in economic growth."

Bill Armstrong Jr., chairman of the board and CEO of Roswell-based Armstrong Construction, remembered how difficult it was to construct the state's first interstates and highways.

"In those days, our company was known as Armstrong & Armstrong," he said. "Our company was founded in 1922 by my grandfather and great-grandfather. My father, Bill "B.B." Armstrong, was 30 when he took over, and in the mid-1960s, he served as the national president of the AGC."

Back then, distances were a great problem for the contractors. "We did work in the Gallup area, which was 400 mi. away from Roswell," Armstrong said. "It would take eight hours to travel one way."

Armstrong said some of the real legends in the industry that built New Mexico's initial interstates and highways included Johnny Jones; Claude and Marshall Wylie; K. Barnett & Sons; Ted R. Brown of Brown Construction Co.; James Hamilton and his son, Chuck, of Hamilton Construction; Marvin Broce of Broce Construction; Jack Rust of Rust Tractor; Tom Gentry of Border Machinery; John Way of J.H. Supply; the Lowdermilk brothers; Nate and Dan Skousen; Chisel Smith of Universal Constructors; Bill Rice of Lively Equipment; Harry Trotz; and O.D. Cowart.

New Mexico celebrated the 50th anniversary of the interstate system in June with several events and participation in the national convoy from Denver to Kansas City.

"Many people take the interstates for granted and don't realize how important a role they play in our day-to-day lives," said S.U. Mahesh, director of public relations and marketing for the New Mexico Department of Transportation. "We hope the 50th anniversary will help educate people on how much the interstate system has contributed to our state and the nation - and still continues to be the economic bloodline of our country."

Arizona Highways

Arizona marked the occasion with several events starting in June. ADOT, the Arizona AGC chapter, ACEC of Arizona, Maricopa County and many other agencies are promoting 2006 as the 'Year of the Interstate.'

"The 50th anniversary of the interstate system is a significant milestone for AGC and its members," said David Martin, president of the Arizona chapter of AGC.

Arizona's roads date back to the mid-1800s when two rough roads were carved across the northern and southern parts of the territory. The southern route was popular with those in search of gold, while the northern route was used by hunters, trappers and military units.

Phoenix-based Royden Construction Co., founded in 1927, was instrumental in the early years of interstate highway construction in Arizona.

"My father, Halsey L. Royden, was often referred to as the 'dean of bridge builders' in early Arizona," said Thomas S. Royden, vice president and former chairman of the board of the company. "By the time of World War II, he had built half of the bridges in Arizona."

Royden recalled how contractors welcomed the interstate funding and the gas tax to pay for it.

"We thought there would be a big flood of projects after the federal aid act was signed, and we did not anticipate how much time it took to design the plans," he said. "We landed our first interstate project in 1958, a 10-mi. stretch of I-10 near Benson. Since then, Royden Construction has helped to build stretches of freeway on every interstate in Arizona."

Initially, contractors would bid for projects consisting of 10-mi. stretches of freeway.

Royden remembered how the entire industry changed with the introduction of the Critical Path Method of scheduling.

"We started using it in the early 1960s to schedule jobs and work items," he added. "It was, and continues to be, the most efficient way to operate."

AGC's Martin said that in the early days of interstate construction, there was no consideration for the environment or historical preservation. "Today we have many more regulations and constraints," he added. "Fifty years ago, there were no encroachment issues."

Of the more than 6,000 miles of Arizona roads, highways and freeways, about 1,100 of them make up six interstate highways.

Arizona has the distinction of being the last state to connect I-10. The 1-mi. stretch of interstate on either side of the Deck Park Tunnel between Seventh Street and Seventh Avenue opened to traffic in August 1990.

The completion of this last section of interstate created a cross-country interstate route from Santa Monica, Calif., to Jacksonville, Fla.

Even while Arizona celebrates its accomplishments in the interstate system, officials believe the 50th anniversary also provides an opportunity to point out the challenges of maintaining an aging highway system, said Doug Nintzel, Arizona Department of Transportation's media relations director.

"We are very proud of our modern system of highways," he added. "But we need people to understand that many sections of these roads are approaching what some folks would call a midlife crisis. From the standpoint of maintaining our highways, we are determined to make sure that our customers know that we face some challenges as we head into the next couple of decades."

Eric Anderson, transportation director for the Maricopa Association of Governments, said that while the interstate system was designed to move people and freight between commerce centers, the highways have also become important for regional mobility.

"We are adding 130,000 people a year to Maricopa County," Anderson said. "It won't be long before we have 10 million people living between Phoenix and Tucson. We're planning some 20 to 30 years out and in some cases as far out as 2050. Our challenge is to determine where the growth will be, where the highways will be and then find funding to build them."

Nevada's Smooth Interstates and Sturdy Bridges

Nevada has 2,105 mi. of interstates and a total of 5,449 mi. of road that it is responsible for.

And the Federal Highway Administration has named Nevada as the state with the smoothest roads and best bridges, quite an achievement considering more than two dozen of the first highway projects funded in Nevada were constructed with gravel.

Fred Hinners, public information officer for the Nevada Department of Transportation, said Nevada has led the rankings for the past several years because "we have an intelligent approach to maintenance and construction. We are also fortunate to reside in the most arid state with newer construction."

In June, Nevada joined the nation in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the interstate system. The convoy that originated in San Francisco on I-80 made its first stop at the National Auto Museum in downtown Reno. Surrounded by vintage cars and poster-sized historical photos, dignitaries and other guests were given a video presentation by two local historians about the construction of the Lincoln Highway through Nevada.

The Nevada chapter of the Associated General Contractors co-hosted the reception. John Madole, AGC executive director, said the roots of his Reno-based organization began with highway construction.

"In 1939, Reno was the larger population center of the state," Madole said. "Three of the five originating contractors who formed our chapter were highway contractors. A number of Nevada AGC members were also instrumental in building I-80 through northern Nevada."

Much has changed since Nevada's last leg of I-80 was completed in 1973.

"With the expansion of the port of Oakland, Calif., we're seeing increased truck traffic and cargo coming through the interstate," Madole said. "Not only are we concerned about maintaining our highways, but we need to better educate the public about the benefits of properly funding new infrastructure construction."

One such project in the works is I-580, which is being constructed between Reno and Carson City. The 30-mi. stretch should be complete by 2010.

"The challenge for us is the same as the other fast-growing states," Hinners said. "We have to focus on maintenance but plan for the future."