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From California to Carolina Trivia Quiz

The U.S. Interstate Highway System. We drive it all the time, but how much do you know about those asphalt lanes?

A multiple-choice quiz by sparkygirl. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
sparkygirl

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
314,400

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
336

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Which president is credited with the creation of the U.S. Interstate Highway System? Hint

Harry S. Truman

Lyndon B. Johnson

Dwight D. Eisenhower

John F. Kennedy

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Question 2 of 10

2. When traveling "from California to Carolina", which interstate highway are you most likely to use? Hint

I-95

I-5

I-40

I-85

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which of the following is NOT a nationwide standard for US highways in the interstate system? Hint

Minimum of two lanes in either direction

Lane widths of 12 feet

Designed for speeds of 50-70 miles per hour

Fueling stations maximum of 120 miles apart

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Question 4 of 10

4. What is the only state or territory without an interstate highway? Hint

Hawaii

None of these

Alaska

Puerto Rico

5. Years before the creation of the current U.S. Interstate Highway System, Route 66 was considered America's first "super-highway". Connecting Chicago and Los Angeles, what was this highway often called? Hint

The Path of America

The Dustbowl Route

Kicks Highway

The Mother Road

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Question 6 of 10

6. What colors are used for the US Interstate signage, known as the interstate shield? Hint

Blue and white

Black, white, and red

Black and white

Red, blue and white

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Question 7 of 10

7. Though designed for high speeds, in 1974 Richard Nixon signed a law mandating a maximum 55 miles per hour speed limit for all interstate highways in response to what? Hint

The 1973 oil embargo

A shortage of highway patrol officers

The rising number of collision fatalities

Excessive wear and tear on the roadways

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Question 8 of 10

8. In an impending emergency, such as a hurricane or flood, authorities might reverse traffic direction on one side of a divided highway so that all lanes are leaving the area in danger. This is referred to as: Hint

Contraflow lane reversal

Quick exit strategy

Emergency outgo

Total lane compliance

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Question 9 of 10

9. One of the requirements for an interstate highway is that there should be long, flat stretches of roadway at regular intervals to act as a runway in order to land military aircraft in times of war. How are these sections identified? Hint

They're not. This is a myth.

Radio transmitters mounted behind the mile markers emit a signal to pilots

Embedded plaques along the roadway that are only visible from the air

They're not. Trained pilots know the locations.

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Question 10 of 10

10. Which interstate travels through the most states? Hint

I-95; Florida to Maine

I-80; California to New Jersey

I-90; Washington to Massachusetts

I-70; Utah to Maryland

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which president is credited with the creation of the U.S. Interstate Highway System?

Answer: Dwight D. Eisenhower

In 1919, as a young Lieutenant Colonel, Eisenhower traveled from Washington D.C. to San Francisco with the first Army transcontinental motor convoy. The purpose of the convoy was to test the mobility of the military during wartime conditions. The trip took 62 days. Later, Eisenhower was impressed with the efficiency of Germany's autobahn network of "superhighways". Funding for the current interstate system came from the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956.

2. When traveling "from California to Carolina", which interstate highway are you most likely to use?

Answer: I-40

This is simple if you know that interstate highways traveling east/west are even-numbered. Those traveling north/south are odd-numbered. I-5 goes through California (actually, from the Canadian border to the Mexican border), and both I-85 and I-95 travel through both North and South Carolina, but only I-40 will get you from one to the other.

3. Which of the following is NOT a nationwide standard for US highways in the interstate system?

Answer: Fueling stations maximum of 120 miles apart

Additional standards are: paved shoulders of at least 10 feet on the right and four feet on the left, and full control of access (on-ramps).

4. What is the only state or territory without an interstate highway?

Answer: None of these

WHAT?!?! While Oahu's three interstate highways (H-1, H-2, and H-3) obviously do not connect with the continental system, they are built with the same design concept, to the same standards, and are funded in the same way. Puerto Rico, also an island, has three interstate highways (PRI-1, PRI-2, PRI-3), and Alaska, separated from the lower 48, has four A-1 through A-4).

Answer: The Mother Road

Begun in 1926, construction of Route 66 was halted due to the Great Depression. In 1933 thousands of unemployed men were put back to work paving this 2,300 mile route. It was completed in 1939 and immortalized by John Steinbeck in "Grapes of Wrath".

6. What colors are used for the US Interstate signage, known as the interstate shield?

Answer: Red, blue and white

With red on top, blue on the bottom, and white lettering, this is a common sight on our nation's highways. Business loops, spurs, and radial portions often use a green shield with white lettering.

7. Though designed for high speeds, in 1974 Richard Nixon signed a law mandating a maximum 55 miles per hour speed limit for all interstate highways in response to what?

Answer: The 1973 oil embargo

Up until 1974, each state was responsible for setting speed limits. After OPEC's Arab members,along with Egypt and Syria, declared an oil embargo against the U.S. (for supplying the Israeli Army during the Yom Kippur War), a national speed limit was imposed to improve fuel efficiency.

As a by-product of the lower limit, fatalities on the interstates were reduced by about 17 percent each year.

Answer: Contraflow lane reversal

In the U.S. this method is primarily used for emergency evacuation, but in the United Kingdom it is most commonly used for road maintenance and construction.

Answer: They're not. This is a myth.

I tried really hard to find out the origin of this myth. It was pointed out that overpasses and normal road debris would make the idea impractical.

10. Which interstate travels through the most states?

Answer: I-95; Florida to Maine

I-95 travels through Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Oh, and Washington DC. I-90 is the longest interstate route at 3,020 miles.

Source: Author sparkygirl

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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