Rolling on The Deegan

 

By 1956, drive time from the New York Thruway to Manhattan was nearly cut in half by the eight-mile stretch of the Interstate Highway System, designated the Major Deegan Expressway after William Francis Deegan. Known officially as Interstate 87 by 1957, the highway now extends over 333 miles along the eastern edge of New York State becoming a major thoroughfare between New York City and Montreal. 

According to a Portland Cement Association advertisement, the expressway was a dramatic example of the benefits of the Interstate Highway System then being built. Their "new-type concrete" became 20% stronger in the first five years. What happens after five years is up for debate. Concrete may break apart under stress or sections may rise or lower due to winter freezing and thawing. Given the advancements in paving machinery and materials, it would seem today the preferred highway paving material is [new-type] asphalt offering quieter travel and less expense to produce per mile.