A convoy making its way across the United States is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Interstate highway system. The group is passing through the northwest corner of Missouri this morning. Merrill Atwater from the Kansas City area is in the convoy traveling from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. He’s also the great grandson of President Dwight Eisenhower, the man who finally got the interstate started in 1956 just outside of St. Louis. Atwater says Ike’s inspiration was the German Autobahn he saw while leading Allied forces in World War II. But he says it was also a trip from Washington to San Francisco his great grandfather made in 1919 with a group of soldiers. The trip took 62 days to get across the country. Atwater says people can now make the trip in just a few days. He says Missouri’s stretches of Interstate seem to be about 20 years behind when it comes to care compared to other states. Atwater hopes this tour will draw attention to the plight the roads are in.
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