Mother Roads: Lincoln Highway, Route 66 & the Interstate Highway System

This Automotive History Live! panel explores how American roads evolved from mostly dirt paths in the early 1900s into the Lincoln Highway, Route 66, and the Interstate Highway System. Moderator Bob Casey sets context on poor early road conditions and rising demand from motorists. Jeff Blair of the Indiana Lincoln Highway Association highlights Carl Fisher’s role, the highway’s 1913 coast-to-coast route, Indiana’s two alignments, notable landmarks and preserved sections (including the Ideal Section in Dyer), and today’s focus on signage, education, and tourism. John Weiss of the Illinois Route 66 Preservation Committee explains Route 66’s creation from connected paved segments, its 1926 designation, 1985 decommissioning, cultural fame, and preservation of places and stories, including the Whoopee Auto Coaster in Lyons, Illinois. Finally, Matt Anderson details Eisenhower’s Interstate System origins, numbering, completion in 1992, and current funding challenges tied to fuel taxes, tolls, and mileage-based options.

===== (Oo---x---oO) ===== 00:00 Welcome and Panel Intro 01:34 Why Roads Matter 03:10 Lincoln Highway Walkthrough 03:52 Carl Fisher and Origins 05:23 Indiana Highlights East 06:07 Fort Wayne to Ligonier 07:43 Goshen to South Bend 09:21 Rolling Prairie and Beyond 10:57 Ideal Section and Legacy 12:20 Eisenhower Caravan Link 12:57 Preservation Signs and Tourism 14:11 Audience Q & A 17:17 Route 66 Story Begins 17:57 Why Route 66 Is Famous 19:16 Four Minute Route 66 History 23:37 What Preservation Means and an Oddity Worth Saving 27:42 Audience Q & A 31:20 Interstate System Origins 33:51 Trust Fund and Fuel Tax 37:39 Funding Fixes Ahead 41:37 Thanks and Sponsors

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This episode is part of our AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY LIVE! SERIES and is sponsored in part by: The Studebaker National Museum and The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH) and was recorded in front of a live studio audience.