Website of the Week

www.aaroads.com

How did you get to Amherst at the beginning of the semester? Did you fly here or drive? If you drove, chances are you took an interstate highway, if not just the Pike or I-91. This site, prepared by two self-proclaimed “roadfans,” details the history, present state and possible future development of the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.

The nearly 45,000 miles of the interstate highway system traverse 49 states. “A road is not just a route to work or the grocery store,” the site reminds viewers. “That same highway to the neighborhood video store may keep going, perhaps leading to the next town up the road or possibly continuing into the next county or state.”

Along with lists and photos of the termini of many interstates, the site explains some of the oddities of the system, like the Breezewood, Penn. “exit” on I-70, where traffic stops at a red light and the road turns left, and information on highways that never were. Even though the interstate system is all but complete, the site is constantly updated with more photos and information from current improvement projects, like Boston’s Big Dig.