THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM IN THE APPALACHIAN COUNTIES OF NORTH CAROLINA

The purpose of this paper will be to provide a scholarly account of the development of the interstate highway system in the Appalachian counties of North Carolina. Following passage of the Interstate Highway Act by Congress in 1955, three major highways in North Carolina were constructed over a period of thirty-six years. I--26 extended ninety-four miles from the Tennessee line to the border of South Carolina (north of Greenville and Spartanburg). I--40 proceeded one hundred forty-seven miles from Forsyth County to the northern portion of the Great Smokey National Park. I--77 ran eighty-four miles southward from Mount Airy to Statesville. The interstate highway network included sixteen counties and the cities of Winston-Salem, Hickory, Mprganton, Asheville, Canton, Waynesville, Hendersonville, and Statesville. The paper will analyze the annual decisions by the House of Representatives and the United States Senate to expedite the completion of the interstate highways through most of the Appalachian counties of the State of North Carolina