Heard from a friend that the interstate highway system may/could be used as artificial borders to control population flow in the event of ML. Anyone heard anything about this?

Makin' Maps for the folks.

-- loveitinthecountry (marshall2@iname.com), November 12, 1999

Answers

No nes on that score, but I took a drive down a few of the local interstates yesterday -- from West of Portland on Hwy 26, onto 217 and then I-5, all of which encircle and arterially feed westerna nd southern Portland. I got narked down on this last time I had the squirrels loose to suggest that those "cellular relay towers" resembled -- and were situated strategically to enhance the imprresion of -- guard towers along the interstate. This trip there were more! Four of them at one major intersection (26 and 217) all within 100 yards of each other; three at another intesection south of Portland on I-5 -- by cracky they're all over!! but just on the Interstate system, just on the on-ramps and off-ramps. Stupid of me. Good thing I've been eddycated by the innerlektuals on this forum to understand how stupid I was bein'.

-- SH (squirrel@hunter.com), November 12, 1999.

That's easy to do in some cities, especially if there are bridges over primary waterways (Golden Gate Bridge, Bay Bridge, San Mateo Bridge, Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Carquinez Bridge, Dumbarton Bridge, Benicia Bridge, Antioch Bridge, Rio Vista Bridge), all these connect to important cities. For those in the Bay Area without access to them, you are confined to a very small area. in other words, your not going anywhere. If your on the north side, you go north or west, if your on the south side, you go south then west. I'd rather be on the north side, your options are much better.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), November 12, 1999.

Hey SH (squirrel@hunter.com), could you eMail us please? Thanks

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), November 12, 1999.

The Interstate highway system was built *as* a military system, and although not talked about much these days, that remains its primary role under law. I doubt the roads would be used as a "border" per se, but they certainly could easily be used as choke or check points to control traffic flow to somewhere else. In many areas of the West, interstates are the *only* highway between towns.

Joe

-- Joe (paraflyr@cybernet1.com), November 12, 1999.

Bardou-- You must be near me?

-- onthenorthside (karlacailf@aol.com), November 12, 1999.

A blast from the past re interstates. I had a friend in college, an older guy whom I called a "street philosopher," who said that each major ghetto in America was ringed by interstates that formed borders and that could be used as "fences" to keep folks in during civil unrest. You know, of course, that Eisenhower instituted the interstate system as a result of a cross country trip he took with the Army in 1919, I believe, a trip that took something like 42 days. That experience, and what the Allies saw the Germans doing with the Autobahn during WWII, convinced him that we needed a system of ground transport for moving military vehicles around the country. Supposedly, every fifth mile of interstate is dead straight in order to allow planes to land in an emergency. Anyone to verify this last bit?

-- Kurt Ayau (Ayau@iwinet.com), November 12, 1999.

Yes, you are correct except it is 1/2 mile in 5 miles must be straight. We driver our POV on interstates as a privlege, not a right. Also the interstate system is numbered in a certain way. The numbering system goes as follows: The lowerr the number the further west it is and odd numbered interstates run North to South. The mile markers run north to south also. So the higher the mile marker, the further north in that state you are. For example, I-5 in CA versus I-95 in MD.

Interstates the run east to west end in even numbers with the higher numers being in the north. The mile markers on those interstates go higher as you go east in that state. For example, I-10 in TX versus I-94 in MN. There is your geography lesson for the day.

-- Greg (skipy@prodigy.net), November 12, 1999.

Uh, Kurt.......

Go west, young man -- about 120 miles due west you'll find a section of I-77/I-64 that has very few sections of even 1/4 mile of straight road. Called the WV Turnpike.

Most interstates do have straight sections, so that's an exception.

-- de (delewis@XOUTinetone.net), November 12, 1999.

If you think we drive our POVs on the interstates as a privilege and not a right, Greg, you're a moron. Who do you think paid for those interstates?

That's your civics lesson for the day.

-- Vic (Rdrunner@internetwork.net), November 12, 1999.

Karla--I'm in the northeast part of California--you have many more options on this side of the state if you wish to go further east with little hassle. Got road maps?

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), November 12, 1999.

bardou--

funny you should mention that!!!!!!!!

I've always delighted in finding back-roads as well. I cruise 101 everyday to work. In an emergency I have 5 different routes away, as far from that parking lot as possible. I am also damn glad I bought a 4-wheel drive. One never knows, just makes me feel better.

-- jeepsaregood (karlacalif@aol.com), November 12, 1999.

Kurt,

The idea of landing aircraft of the Interstates is something that came from Germany after WWII. We got our allies to build such provision but the US never built any. In Europe and South Korea there are sections of major highways which *are* runways (2 miles long, up to 150ft wide pavement with painted runway markings and no road signs along the shoulders) which nothing on our Interstates comes near resembling.

If you've ever driven overseas and come upon one it's eerie. And the rest areas found nearby have got some awfully large parking lots.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), November 12, 1999.

Vic, I have been in the Transportation industry for 19 years. US Military, Law Enforcement, Truck Driver, and I now run a Truck Driving School for a college, therefore I do not qualify as a "moron" You sir, should go read the original govt. act that created the Interstate System as it was signed into Law by Mr . Truman. Our taxes paid for those roads, yes however our taxes also pay for those fancy fighter jets they will land on those roads but you will never fly one of those unless you happen to be in the military and assigned to that job. The US Military can shutdown an interstate at any time with no warning and there absolutly nothing you or anybody else will do about it. So, be careful next time you throw the word moron around, you may find some else who knows a little more then you do.

-- Greg (skipy1@prodigy.net), November 12, 1999.

I worked in civil engineering firms for many years as a draftsman and designer. For the record, interstate bridge overhead clearances were set to allow passage of missile trailers. I don't doubt that a few exceptions have been made in unusual circumstances, but that was the rule. Very likely it's obsolete now. But the interstates -- all highways in the country for that matter -- are subject to peremptory control by local, county, and state police, and by federal agencies, under appropriate emergency conditions.

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), November 12, 1999.