DDOT Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Interstate Highway System with a Special Photo Exhibit at Union Station
(Washington, DC) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is marking the 50th anniversary of the Interstate Highway 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 24 at 12 pm 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, DC, convoy over I-80, slated for June 16-29.
