Ebook: America’s Highways, 1776-1976: A History of the Federal-Aid Program

his 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 main - tenance 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.

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 0£ 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.