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"The interstate system has long been considered one of the greatest
engineering achievements of all time, and we are proud to be working
with Chancellor Richard Herman and engineering students from the
University of Illinois on a project of such important significance,"
Martin said. "Interstate travel has revolutionized our society,
quickly and efficiently moving commerce and improving our everyday
quality of life. We are proud to work with some of the top engineers
in Illinois." Since 1956, the interstate has been instrumental in
drivers' freedom and safety throughout the state and nation. In
addition, the Eisenhower Interstate System has played a significant
role in the expansion of commerce and industry, not to mention
advances in transportation over the past 50 years.
The Illinois Department of Transportation has formed a committee
for the 50th anniversary of interstates and will participate in a
national convoy and celebration this summer. The 50th anniversary
national observance, with a re-enactment of a 1919 military
cross-country convoy in which Dwight D. Eisenhower participated, is
sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials.
The convoy will enter Illinois on Interstate 80 from Iowa and
proceed across Illinois, stopping at the American Association of
State Highway Officials Test Road site, adjacent to Interstate 80 in
Ottawa, on June 24. The site is also referred to as the National
Test Road. Tests at this site from 1958 to November of 1960 played a
significant role in interstate development and produced surface
formulas that were used for years to come in the construction of the
interstate system. The convoy will then travel to Chicago, where a
celebration will take place on June 26. The winning display will
travel alongside the national convoy to commemorate this event.
The College of Engineering and the College of Fine and Applied
Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have
collaborated to provide a key piece for the celebration. Their
collaboration led to a design competition across the campus for a
museum-quality display to commemorate the 50 years of interstate
highway construction and celebrate the impact of the interstate
system on the people of Illinois.
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 The winning concept, called "Roadside Conversations: Ordinary
People, Extraordinary Stories," was designed by a team from the
College of Fine and Applied Arts. Members of the team were Steve
Kostell, instructor; Richard Valentin, graduate student; and Rose
Marshack, visiting artist and technology integration specialist. The
three are associated with the School of Art and Design within the
College of Fine and Applied Arts. Their design, to be installed in
an Airstream trailer shell by faculty and students, will feature an
array of large flat-panel TVs showing images and short interviews
with ordinary people recounting their stories of highway travel in
the United States.
The exhibit will include a recording studio for visitors to share
their own personal accounts, and these recordings will be
incorporated into the program for future visitors. The exhibit will
also feature high-tech video imaging to create a three-dimensional
environment in which the visitor can use a game pad to navigate a
simulation of interstate highway while under construction.
"We appreciate this opportunity to join with IDOT to create a
project that will provide unique interaction with the public," said
Herman, the university chancellor. "For many years, our College of
Engineering has worked with IDOT on research related to highway
construction, giving our faculty and students a meaningful way to
apply knowledge to real-world challenges. We are delighted to
partner with IDOT in telling the story of the Interstate Highway
System and how it has improved life for the people of Illinois."
The "Roadside Conversations" mobile exhibit will be on hand for
the June visit of the re-enactment of the 1919 military convoy as it
enters Illinois and will continue with the convoy to Washington,
D.C. The exhibit will be open to the public at stops along the
convoy path, and an additional "road trip" is planned for the
exhibit in late summer 2006 to visit other public venues in
Illinois, such as museums and interstate rest areas.
[Illinois
Department of Transportation news release]
For more information
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