What are interstate highways?
The reasons for interstate highways in Hawaii
Conclusion
What are interstate highways?
The United State has a large country-wide system of highways known as interstate highways. Their purpose is to provide the quickest travel both from one state to another as well as within states. This is because speed limits are typically at their maximum on interstate highways with the highest number of lanes and fewest number of exits. Having fewer exits discourages short distance travelers from making use of the roads.
Interstate highways actually serve a few other purposes too. They are primary evacuation routes in all states in the case of an emergency such as a hurricane or terrorist attack. They also serve as main transport routes for military mobilizations. They also make access to areas outside of cities much easier which helps alleviate population densities within the cities themselves by allowing people to easily move to suburbs and rural areas. Finally, in the case of an emergency with an airplane, many parts of interstate highways are wide and long enough they can be shutdown and used as a makeshift runway if airports are too far away.
The reasons for interstate highways in Hawaii
You might have wondered, if interstate highways connect different states, how can Hawaii have them since Hawaii is a chain of islands? Well, the name ‘interstate” doesn’t actually refer to the connection of different states that typically occurs with these highways. It refers to the fact that the construction and maintenance of these highways is funded by the federal government. Thus, interstate highways exist in all states in the contiguous United States as well as Hawaii, Alaska and even Puerto Rico.
As we mentioned above, these highways serve so many more purposes than just connecting one states road system to another. In the case of Hawaii, the military aspect of interstate highways is more important than it typically is. This is due to the fact that the United States military has a strong foothold and presence there because it is the closest US soil to countries in the south pacific. So, being able to quickly and easily mobilize the military there is very important.
Conclusion
Believe it or not there are several great reasons why Hawaii, a chain of islands, has interstate highways. The word “interstate” only refers to the fact that funding for the highways is not provided by each state but the federal government. Interstate highways provide quicker travel over long distances, they provide reliable evacuation routes and are important for the military which is particularly important in Hawaii.
