A precursor to a complete I-80 and mass deregulation where before had been monopolistic regulation, this act permanently implemented a national 55-mph speed limit for the Interstate Highway System. It also created the Federal Bridge Gross Weight Formula, which governed the weight-to-length ratio of trucks in order to protect highway bridges and infrastructure.
This ruling was in favor of mass transit, offering additional funding for interstate roads and new urban and rural primary and secondary roads. By establishing a national speed limit, truckers were not limited in their delivery times and the ICC could make arguments in favor of ‘highway safety improvement’ against trucking companies that interfered with profitability for wealthy capitalists.
As former railroad owners expanded their investment in shipping through alternative measures, this act expanded the Interstate Highway System by 1,500 miles. It provided funding for new interstate roads, as well as primary and secondary roads so that truckers in partnership with railroads could access more remote areas and expand profitability. Concurrently it led to environmental protections to federal highway projects which allowed the ICC and its supporter’s power to sue or inhibit the development of competing transportation programs, roads, or bridges under the guise of environmental protection.
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