Profile America Wednesday, September 10th. The first coast-to-coast highway in the United States opened on this day in 1913. Known as the Lincoln Highway, the road originally ran for almost 3,400 miles through 13 states. Called the Main Street across America, the highway brought economic progress to many cities, towns and villages along its route. As a young Army officer, Dwight Eisenhower drove in an army convoy on the Lincoln Highway an experience which fostered his support as president for the Interstate Highway System we enjoy today.
In the U.S., there are now 4 million miles of roads, about three-quarters of them in rural areas.
