DDOT Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Interstate System with a Special Photo Exhibit at Union Station

newivycity
Originally uploaded by rllayman.

(The image here, from the 1960s, shows proposed freeway alignment through the Ivy City and Brookland neighborhoods. The proposal accelerated the migration of industrial businesses from Ivy City and spurred the decline of the neighborhood. Source: Douglas Willinger.)


From Karyn LeBlanc, DC DDOT:

DC's Department of Transportation is marking the 50th anniversary of the
Interstate System with a special exhibition in the West Hall of Union Station.

The exhibit, titled "The Interstate in the District of Columbia," will be
on display from April 24 - May 6, 2006 and will be free of charge and open
to the public. A press conference is being held to open the exhibit on
Monday, April 24th at noon at the exhibit site.

The exhibit will feature historic and current photographs, maps and
documentation of the design and construction of the Interstate Highway system in the District from the collections of Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial Library, the Eisenhower Presidential Library, the National
Archives and the DDOT archives.

"We are very proud of this exhibit and the important role the District of
Columbia played in the building of the Interstate System," stated DDOT Acting Director Michelle Pourciau. "We encourage residents and visitors
to stop by the exhibit and take the opportunity to learn about the rich
history behind this amazing engineering achievement."

The display will help citizens of the nation's capital learn of the impact
the Interstate had on the nation, learn about President Eisenhower's reasons for backing and signing the legislation that created the Interstate system, and underscore the important role of public input from DC citizens in shaping the Interstates in the District.

National and state-by-state activities are being held from coast to coast
to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Interstate Highway System, including a San Francisco-to-Washington, D.C. convoy over I-80, slated for June 16-29.