Fifty years ago, the U.S. Interstate Highway System game American drivers total freedom to travel virtually anywhere in the country.
On June 16, a convoy will depart San Francisco to recreate – in reverse order – that first transcontinental drive. Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the convoy – including two support trucks from Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire – is scheduled to arrive in Washington on June 29.
The original Transcontinental Motor Train was a test to see if troops and supplies could travel across the country. Leaving Washington, D.C. on July 7, 1919, the army followed the original Lincoln Highway, taking 62 days to drive 3,250 miles to San Francisco.
Led by Lt. Col. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the entire convoy traveled on Firestone brand tires, and was accompanied by two Firestone-provided support trucks.
