In December 1918, E. J. Mehren, a civil engineer and the editor of "Engineering News-Record", presented his "A Suggested National Highway Policy and Plan" during a gathering of the State Highway Officials and Highway Industries Association at the Congress Hotel in Chicago. In the plan, Mehren proposed a system, consisting of five east–west routes and 10 north–south routes. The system would include two percent of all roads and would pass through every state at a cost of , providing commercial as well as military transport benefits.