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The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways Audiobook
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(3.04) - 311 listener ratings
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A man-made wonder, a connective network, an economic force, a bringer of blight and sprawl and the possibility of escape—the U.S. interstate system transformed America. The Big Roads presents the surprising history of how we got from dirt tracks to expressways in the space of a single lifetime.
Earl Swift brings to light the visionaries who created these essential highways as well as the critics and citizens who questioned their headlong expansion throughout the country, including:
- Carl Fisher, the irrepressible car-racing entrepreneur who spurred the push for good roads in the early years of the automobile, built the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and made a fortune creating Miami Beach, only to lose it all;
- Thomas MacDonald, chief among a handful of driven engineers who conceived of the interstates and how they would work, years before President Eisenhower knew the plans existed;
- Lewis Mumford, the critic whose crusade against America's budding love affair with the automobile—and the ever bigger roads it required—now seems prescient;
- Joe Wiles, an African American family man turned activist, one of thousands of ordinary citizens in dozens of cities who found their homes and communities targeted by the concrete juggernaut—and were unwilling to be uprooted in the name of progress.
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"I loved reading this book about the developing of our highway system. Swift goes into a great deal of depth and breadth of our history of transportation, including bike riding. Bikes became quite the craze and there was nowhere to ride them without a bunch of muck. Then along came cars (after the BIG mess of horse-drawn vehicles) and they had nowhere to go. There were a number of auto manufacturers and gradually quite a number of routes developed by various clubs. From a federal perspective, there were several dedicated and seemingly wise men who did a great amount of research to develop our highways. Their intent was to pay/build only as much as would benefit citizens. They garnered information about economic indicators for each county in the 48 states - agricultural, manufacturing output, mineral yields, and forst production - to determine routes. There were various philosophies of social development, like townless highways (freeways were free of every encroachment except filling stations and restaurants necessary for convenience) and roadless towns (gave us the cul-de-sac). There was much experimentation of road surfaces (that gave us pneumatic tires). If only our government had gone through a part of the research about our healthcare system that was done for our highways! Swift talked about concrete - maybe the pyramids were built from concrete with limestone content - and about the German autobahns; actually our Pershing Map was already developed as to the best way to move about military vehicles. Perhaps the autobahn actually used American technology, since it seemed some of their ideas were similar to those of American engineers'. One other item of interest: German autobahns were for moving quickly to and from the country's borders and hence were thought to be a reflection of Hitler preparing for war. Our highway system got a lot of flack in the 60's when they tried to mow down slums to get into cities' cores. By then the environmental movement had begun and that raised further criticism of auto travel. Great book!"
— Cathy (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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[Swift's] writing is easygoing, and [listeners] interested in urban planning as well as engineering will find a well-told story about a defining American feature.
— Publishers Weekly -
“Narrator Rob Shapiro brings a sort of surprised enthusiasm to his reading, utilizing a kind of gee-whiz tone that carries listeners along almost as nicely as today’s roadways.”
— AudioFile -
“It’s nice to look back to an era when visionary investment was still possible.”
— Library Journal -
“The book is a road geek’s treasure—and everyone who travels the highways ought to know these stories.”
— Kirkus Reviews
The Big Roads Listener Reviews
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" I like history of technology and was excited to read this book - however, the author covers very little about technology and engineering and focuses instead on the politics. When he does look at the technology I was fascinated - did you know that using nuclear explosion was seriously considered as a way to make tunnels? The book itself was a bit of a disappointment because of the lack of information on technology but it did bring back a lot of personal memories. I grew up taking long driving vacations in the late 1940's and early 1950's. I think that I remember the gas stations (my mother ALWAYS commented on the level of bathroom cleanliness) and the "cabins" and cafes more than our actual destinations. I still like long road trips. My cousin is a blue highways person and it can be fun to try to travel without using freeways. And, oh yes, I love freeway postcards. "
— Diane, 1/24/2014 -
" Informative, engaging read that looks at the genesis and development of our interstate highway system, a public works project so large it reshaped the face and psychology of America. A key point clarified: The man who gets most of the credit today for launching the construction of our interstates, President Dwight Eisenhower, actually had little to do with their beginnings and development. "
— David, 1/15/2014 -
" A very well written book that takes the readers on a journey of big American roads. It is a well researched book that helps put into perspective of how amazing the highways and the people that created them. "
— Mike, 1/14/2014 -
" Fascinating but ran out of steam in the middle "
— Linda, 1/8/2014 -
" An interesting book if you like history and how things came about. We just assume that long distance roads have always been around, but they are really new in the 20th century. For the last half of the 19th century most long distance travel was done by train. "
— Bruce, 12/21/2013 -
" Very informative and easy read. Minimizes Eisenhauer's contribution. "
— Powerhouse, 11/30/2013 -
" Interesting book--we had bought it for my son, who is a civil engineer. "
— Robert, 11/22/2013 -
" Worth the time. A good history of the Interstate Highway System. Sadly, written from the perspective of a guy who believes that publications like "The Nation" and "The New Republic" are mainstream media. "
— Kent, 11/18/2013 -
" a balanced history that honors both the impressive achievements of early visionaries and engineers as well as the critics and activists who fought to preserve their homes and neighborhoods in the face of these enormous public projects. turns out this was not really eisenhower's baby. "
— Shireen, 10/28/2013 -
" Excellent source of information about the history of our interstate highway system. "
— Marie, 7/25/2013 -
" Very informational and well worth a read for anyone interested in the topic, but the writing style is typically pop-historical. "
— Mttabor, 6/4/2013 -
" Debunks the myth that Eisenhower was the genius behind the Interstate Highway System. Good accounting of those who actually came up with the ideas and bought them to fruition, but on the whole, pretty dry reading. "
— Phil, 4/18/2013 -
" This was an interesting book, but my God is it long! I'm extremely thankful that the last 40% is notes or I might have never finished it. Still it offers a comprehensive history of what it took to conceive, design, and build our massive interstate system. "
— Keith, 4/14/2013 -
" Slightly slow to start, but excellent otherwise. "
— Emily, 3/1/2013 -
" Fascinating book about the history of America's highways. A quick and lively read. "
— Graham, 8/27/2012 -
" A fascinating book about the road and interstate system in the US. "
— Adele, 8/11/2012 -
" Fascinating read. An amazingly interesting story of what might be thought of as a dry topic. Swift brings the characters and times that created the nation's highway system to life. "
— Amy, 5/23/2012 -
" illuminates that which we take for granted and shapes our lives. "
— Michael, 2/11/2012
About Earl Swift
Journalist Earl Swift has written five books, including The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways (2011). Since 2012 he has been a residential fellow of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities at the University of Virginia.
About Rob Shapiro
Rob Shapiro is a musician, writer, voice actor, and Earphones Award–winning narrator. He performed several seasons of radio comedy on Minneapolis Public Radio and voiced the titular lion in Leo the Lion. He is a musician and composer with his critically acclaimed band Populuxe. He is also a business consultant and software system designer.