LEARN NC

North Carolina History Digital Textbook Project

Interstate highways from the ground up

By Kristin Post

2.2 Student worksheet: Interstate highways from the ground up

By Kristin Post

Provided by UNC Libraries / Documenting the American South

Interstate highways from the ground up

History and safety

There are other roads that already exist in Madison County, but a federal highway has special requirements. It is expected to provide rapid, uninterrupted travel on multiple lanes. This upcoming excerpt discusses some of the older roads in Madison County, and why a new road needed to be built.

While you are listening to the oral history, jot down as many reasons as you can for the why the I-26 corridor was proposed.

Reasons for a new highway:

Additional reasons:

When the oral history is completed, discuss these reasons with your group, and put a check mark next to any that you mentioned when you brainstormed on positives and negatives of highways.

Impact on people and places

Once a highway is built, it may be difficult for people to imagine what was there before. It could have been someone’s farm, or their house, or it could have been a church or graveyard. The government has eminent domain, or the right to access land, no matter what was there previously, in order to build roads or other public works projects.

While you are listening to the oral history, jot down as what had to be replaced, moved, and considered in order to complete the highway.

Impact:

Additional impacts:

When the oral history is completed, discuss these impacts with your group, and put a check mark next to any that you mentioned when you brainstormed on positives and negatives of highways.

Personal impact

Stan Hyatt grew up in the mountains, and loved to play and hunt in the woods. Because of his childhood love of the forest, he especially dislikes cutting down trees as part of his job. He also knows that roads can result in additional traffic, environmental damage, and a higher population, which will also change the area he’s known since he was a kid. But he also sees the positive benefits of building highways.

While you are listening to the oral history, jot down some of the issues he brings up as to why he accepts the new highway. Also write any reasons he mentions for disliking the new highway.

Impact:

Additional impacts:

When the oral history is completed, discuss these impacts with your group, and put a check mark next to any that you mentioned when you brainstormed on positives and negatives of highways.