AEM Salutes 50 Years of Interstate Highways

On the 50^th anniversary of America’s Interstate Highway System, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) salutes all the individuals who helped make possible the building of the nation’s transportation network.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act on June 29, 1956, providing the impetus for establishing the Interstate Highway System.

“Equipment manufacturers played a significant role in the building of the Interstate system, providing the equipment and technologies to accomplish this massive public works undertaking,” says Gerry Shaheen, 2006 AEM chairman and group president of Caterpillar Inc. in Peoria, Ill.

Recognizing the Interstate’s 50^th anniversary, the AEM has underwritten a series of research reports developed by the Road Information Program (TRIP), which examine current conditions and future needs of the Interstate system. These state level reports focus on safety, economic and quality of life benefits.