The American freeway is born in a time of intense optimism around the promise of the automobile. President Eisenhower sees the country's dilapidated road network as a barrier to economic growth and national defense. Jacob Dekema, the father of San Diego's freeway network, sees freeways as lifesavers. How did our optimism blind us to the freeway's dark side?

Magic Highway USA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo4-rYNGEwE&

Episode 1: San Diego's first freeway

KPBS News serves the people of the San Diego region with trustworthy, in-depth information that allows the community to hold its leaders accountable. We show how global and local current affairs change our lives, and how San Diego changes the world. We tell you more than just what is happening—we tell you why. Be sure to go back and listen to our first series, "Dr. J's." In it, KPBS investigative reporter Claire Trageser explores a horrific crime and its lasting impacts on Southeast San Diego, a lower income and predominantly African-American pocket of the city.