Perhaps you aren’t aware, but there were many, many fights about the interstates. Some of them, especially the ones through the major cities, were blocked. Examples include Interstate 95, which was supposed to go through Washington, D.C. but doesn’t; Interstates 66 and 270, which were supposed to go into Washington and link up with Interstate 95, but don’t; and Interstate 70, which was supposed to go through Baltimore and link up with Interstate 95, but doesn’t. Also, Interstate 95 was supposed to go through the downtown part of Baltimore, but was rerouted to the southern part of the city.
And that’s just two cities. There are lots more where that came from.
I’m not at all saying that because some folks protested the interstates, we can’t build the wall. Far from it. But the idea that the interstates were welcomed by one and all is simply not supported by history.
Compared to it’s length, 47,000 miles, I’d say there were few issues in acquiring the land to build this HUGE hi-way system. I would say the 2,000+ miles for the wall is a tiny effort compared to that.