{"product_id":"9780547549132","title":"The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighw","description":"“Travelers hitting the highways this summer  might better appreciate the asphalt beneath their tires thanks to this  engrossing history of the creation of the U.S. interstate system.”—\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePerhaps nothing changed the face of America more than the creation of  the interstate system. At once man-made wonders, economic pipelines,  agents of sprawl, and uniquely American sirens of escape, the  interstates snake into every aspect of modern life. \u003ci\u003eThe Big Roads \u003c\/i\u003edocuments  their historic creation and the many people they’ve affected, from the  speed demon who inspired a primitive web of dirt auto trails, to the  cadre of largely forgotten technocrats who planned the system years  before Ike reached the White House, to the thousands of city dwellers  who resisted the concrete juggernaut when it bore down on their  neighborhoods.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Big Roads\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of this essential feature of the  landscape we have come to take for granted. With a view toward players  both great and small, Swift gives readers the full story of one of  America’s greatest engineering achievements.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Engaging, informative . . . The first thorough history of the expressway system.”—Jonathan Yardley, \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The book is a road geek’s treasure—and everyone who travels the highways ought to know these stories.”—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Houghton Mifflin Harcourt","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47120531849456,"sku":"9780547549132","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780547549132_p0.jpg?v=1769914987","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780547549132","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}