Seventy years after President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, America's Interstate Highway System remains the backbone of the nation's mobility, commerce and connectivity. But as the network enters its eighth decade, transportation leaders are grappling with a new set of challenges: aging infrastructure, growing freight demand, increasing congestion, funding uncertainty, extreme weather and rapidly evolving technology.

In this Roads & Bridges roundtable, three leading transportation experts join moderator Gavin Jenkins to examine the current state of the Interstate system and the decisions that will shape its future. Participants include Tracy Larkin-Thomason, director of the Nevada Department of Transportation; Jonathan Gifford, director of the Center for Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership Policy at George Mason University; and Tony Kratofil, HNTB's national DOT market sector leader.

The discussion explores some of the most pressing questions facing transportation agencies today: How should limited resources be spent? What role can emerging technologies such as AI, digital twins and connected vehicles play in improving operations and maintenance? How can agencies deliver projects faster and with less disruption? And what funding mechanisms will be needed to sustain and modernize the network for future generations?

More than a conversation about preserving aging infrastructure, this discussion examines how the Interstate can evolve to support a safer, smarter and more resilient transportation system.

Watch the full roundtable and explore all of our anniversary coverage at www.roadsbridges.com/Interstate70Years. New stories, expert perspectives and analysis will continue to be added to the hub as Roads & Bridges examines the past, present and future of America's Interstate Highway System. Stay tuned for more coverage throughout the series.