Magic Highway U.S.A (Incomplete)

Duration: 12:00

Year Published: 1958

Creator: Ward Kimball

Complete Record: Reviews early transportation routes in the U.S., discusses the development of the present interstate highway system, shows the many steps involved in planning and building a highway, and visualizes possible developments such as completely mechanized road building, prefabricated bridges and overpasses, cantilevered mountain highways, electronic guidance of private cars, and tubular highways in deserts and under water. The theme of this is the significance of the American highway, featuring the history of motoring, which explains that to drive the first cars was quite an adventure in itself, due to awful roads (which back then were not much more than rutted wagon paths) and the scarcity of fuel supplies and spare parts, not to mention the lack of useful maps and signposts, resulting in short drives turning into day-long affairs.