Highway networks became popularized in the early 20th-century, as automobiles became much more widespread. Thus, heightening the need for wider, smoother, and interconnected roadways. The first proper highway in the US was completed in 1911, known as the Long Island Motor Parkway. Then, in 1924, Italy opened the Milano-Varese autostrada, stretching 30 miles long. This was followed by the opening of the Bonn–Cologne autobahn in Germany, in 1932. One of the world's first major highway projects was Dwight D. Eisenhower's Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956. This essentially created what we know today as the Interstate Highway Network, connecting states with a wide network of roads.