America's Highways 1776–1976: A History of the Federal-Aid Program

by Federal Highway Administration

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america’s highways 1776/1976

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A HISTORY OF THE FEDERAL-AID PROGRAM

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration

 

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For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington. D.C. 20402

Stock No. 050-001-00123-3

Notice

Where sources known to be covered by registered copyright have been quoted in this book, the name of the copyright owner is included in the reference. Any omissions are unintentional and do not affect the validity of the copyright.

The identification (in writing, in photographs, or in drawings) of items of equipment by trademarks or by manufacturer’s name is for historical accuracy only and does not constitute an endorsement by the U.S. Government of the equipment or the manufacturer.

Preface

This book has been written for a widely diversified audience—those interested in the general history of our Nation’s highways and those whose interest might be more narrowly confined to matters relating to the technical aspects of highway transportation. It has been prepared in two parts—Part I deals with the broad subject of highway history from colonial days forward to the historic highway legislation of 1956; Part II deals separately and in some detail with the several areas of responsibility for administration, planning and research, design, construction and maintenance of highways and bridges, both foreign and domestic as authorized under the Federal highway legislation.

The reader will note the changing reference to the name of the Federal unit assigned responsibility for the administration of the Federal-aid highway program—the original Office of Road Inquiry, the Bureau of Public Roads, the Public Roads Administration, again the Bureau of Public Roads, and finally the Federal Highway Administration. These changes in organization title are chronicled in Chapter I, Part II which covers the program administration through the years.

Biographical information on a few key individuals has been included at the end of Part I and in selected chapters of Part II where each man’s contribution is directly related. The numbers are purposely limited, and many hundreds of dedicated and competent individuals go unrecognized.

Many former and current employees have contributed text for or reviewed this book. The manuscripts, in most instances, have been edited to make this book a reasonable length, but the original manuscripts are available in the U.S. Department of Transportation Library for future scholars to review. In addition to those listed below, many others assisted in the preparation of this book, in particular Mary Jo Burke and Verla R. Cook of the Department of Transportation Library, to assure a history as complete as possible.

Chauncey Aldrich James A. Bloom Frank L. Calhoun Carl A. Carpenter William O. Cornelia Howard D. Correll F. William Cron Charles D. Curtiss Phillip Darling Michael De Stephanis Martin Deuterman Thomas O. Edick H. Dean Fravel Robert B. Gair A. F. Ghiglione Willis Grafe E. H. Holmes John B. Kemp Ross W. Kruser C. V. Kurylo Lester P. Lamm D. W. Loutzenheiser

Henry H. Mahier Martin F. Maloney E. J. Martin, Jr. Kennon Nakamura Barbara M. Neilson John D. O’Fallon S. Z. Phillips Charles W. Prisk Joyce N. Ritter Elizabeth Samson Gordon B. Sharpe C. L. Shufflebarger C. A. Steele Josephine C. Sweeney E. A. Swick A. Taragin A. Clayson Taylor William P. Walker York Welborn M. Susan Wiley George M. Williams B. Dianne Williford

Foreword

The economic growth of the United States in the 200 years of its existence and the record of individual prosperity achieved by its people in that brief period of time are attributable to the success of the transportation system developed during that period—a system almost totally dependent on the Nation’s highways.

This book has been written to record for posterity the story of highway development in the United States, beginning in the early years of the new Nation and expanding with the growing country as it moved into the undeveloped areas west of the original colonial States, and ultimately evolving into the Federal-aid highway program in which the State and Federal Governments have worked cooperatively and successfully for the past 60 years. It is a proud story and one that should be recorded.

The book will make available for future highway transportation officials a documentation of earlier decisions and experiences which, up to this time, have been available only in scattered writings or in the individual knowledge and recollections of many of those involved directly in the Federal-aid highway program during this period of development and whose experiences have not previously been recorded.

Our Nation will continue to grow and to progress, and our transportation system will contribute materially toward that objective.

 

Norbert T. Tiemann
Federal Highway Administrator
1976

Contents
Part One	1	The Colonial Legacy	2
	2	Early Turnpike Era	8
	3	Early Federal Aid for Roads and Canals	16
	4	The Age of Steam	28
	5	The Good Roads Movement	36
	6	Dawn of the Motor Age	54
	7	The Beginning of Scientific Roadbuilding	64
	8	The Drive for Federal Aid	80
	9	Planning a Highway System	90
	10	The Highway Boom	112
	11	Roads for National Defense	142
	12	Events Leading to Enactment of the 1956 Federal-Aid Highway Act	154
Part Two	1	Administration of the Federal-Aid Program	198
	2	Finance and Economics	238
	3	Planning	264
	4	Research	320
	5	Right-of-Way and Environment	354
	6	Design	380
	7	Bridges	418
	8	Construction and Maintenance	444
	9	Development of the Interstate Program	466
	10	Construction in the Federal Domain	486
	11	International Operations	518
		Epilogue—The Success Story	542
		Highway Related Legislation	546
		Picture Credits	548
		Index	551