[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 118 (Friday, July 31, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 UNITED STATES NUMBERED HIGHWAY SYSTEM

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 31, 2009

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, the United States Numbered Highway 
System--from US 1 to US 830--was the first set of nationally recognized 
highways in the country. During the Great Depression, federal and state 
governments put people to work improving and extending the nation's 
roads and highways. The U.S. numbered highways carried the bulk of 
intercity vehicular traffic and people migrating west. These highways 
helped our country win the Second World War, allowing great flexibility 
in ferrying soldiers and materials across the nation, supplementing the 
nation's fixed rail system.
  Communities all across America sprung up around these numbered 
highways, which came to serve as Main Streets in many of these towns. 
The system reached its apex in 1956, but with the creation of the 
Interstate System and subsequent growth of suburban communities, many 
of these once great highways have decayed. As a result, many of the 
U.S. numbered highways can be characterized as ``orphan highways,'' 
receiving little or no federal investment. These highways, however, 
continue to serve local areas with critical connectivity and economic 
links, and are often the heart of Main Street America.
  To create an assistance program that is tailored to the redevelopment 
of community Main Streets which are or were part of the United States 
Numbered Highway System, I have introduced the Orphan Highway 
Restoration Act. This legislation creates a new program to provide 
Federal funds to assist states and local governments in their efforts 
to rehabilitate or repair the Main Street sections of the orphan 
highways running through their towns. The bill provides a needed boost 
to state and local transportation departments by committing important 
new resources to revitalize local economies and communities. It creates 
redevelopment opportunities that benefit local businesses and labor, 
improve safety on our roads, and creates jobs.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this important 
legislation and to reinvest in the communities that make America great.

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