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Transportation

Mapping the Effects of the Great 1960s ‘Freeway Revolts’

Urbanites who battled the construction of the Interstate Highway System in the 1960s saved some neighborhoods—but many highways did transform cities.
A complex of freeways and new construction sit among familiar landmarks and smog in Los Angeles in 1962.
A complex of freeways and new construction sit among familiar landmarks and smog in Los Angeles in 1962.David F. Smith/AP
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In 1955, the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads released the “Yellow Book”—a national blueprint to build out the 41,000-mile Interstate Highway System. The series of maps laid out the proposed routes for this massive project, which was set to be completed by 1969.

In the beginning, things went smoothly enough: Highway engineers encountered little opposition from communities in the rural areas. But then builders tried to expand the network into major cities—and the age of the freeway revolts began.