On a recent trip, driving from Minnesota to New Orleans, Ft. Lauderdale, Atlanta and then home again, we looked for opportunities to get off the Interstate once in a while to see the landscape and how people live in other areas. We often found that highways indicated on the map as two-lane roads are being rebuilt into four-lane roads. In the process, travelers are removed a bit more from the landscape and the people.
New 4-lane highways aren't so bad, but when we found ourselves on an older 4-lane highway (that was not an Interstate), we often found ourselves sitting at stoplights looking at Walmart stores and MacDonalds restaurants. Our search for small town and rural America was often frustrating. Near my home, two-lane highways are being rebuilt into 4-lanes where traffic is heavy. The reason for doing so is usually to speed up commuter traffic and increase safety (less risk in passing slow cars). The speed limit is raised from 55 to 65 miles per hour and, for a while, the transition does result in faster commuting. However, 4-lane highways seem to be ideal habitat for big box stores and fast food restaurants. Eventually, these routes will be festooned with stop ligts and the speed limit will decrease to 40 or 45. As you sit at the stop light, you won't be able to tell by looking if you are in Louisiana, Arizona, Minnesota or Kentucky, but you will wish you were some place else.
