Despite Cold War tensions, post-war America boomed, with a thriving economy and an expanding suburban middle class. For many, it was the era of the American dream, and amid all the other developments the passing of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 sparked a vast road-building project – the Interstate Highway System that now stretches nearly 47,000 miles. The National Highways map pictured here shows the extent of the country’s interstate routes and roads.

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