Go Somerset Pa

In 1912, paved roads and interconnected highways were virtually non-existent.  Travelers were lucky to find roads that were passable, let alone paved with gravel.  The only “quality” roads were those surrounding nearby towns and cities.  Fortunately, one man was ready to change all that.

Entrepreneur Carl Fisher saw the need for a better quality road that would span across the United States.  Fisher, who started the Indianapolis 500 and developed the “swamp” now known as Miami Beach, was not at all daunted by the prospect of building a national highway.  He referred to his initial idea as the Coast-to-Coast Rock Highway. The road would cost about $10 million, a relatively low price at that time.  Communities along the route would provide materials and, in turn, gain recognition as being part of the new transcontinental highway.

The Coast-to-Coast Rock Highway was later named the Lincoln Highway, in honor of former President Abraham Lincoln.  The Lincoln Highway took many years to complete but was officially dedicated on October 31, 1913.  It spans through 13 U.S. states and is a total of 5,869 miles (counting all of the subsequent routes and realignments).  US-30 is a part of the Lincoln Highway, which passes from Philadelphia to the Ohio border. 

For more information about the Lincoln Highway (now part of US-30) and its construction history, please visit http://www.pahighways.com/us or http://lincolnhighway.jameslin.name.