📖 How the WPA Built America’s Roads & Bridges: Transforming Transportation in the Great Depression (1938)

📌 This 1938 WPA report details the massive road and bridge construction efforts that transformed American infrastructure during the Great Depression. A vital resource for historians, teachers, and genealogists studying the impact of New Deal policies.

WPA Roads and Bridges, 1938. Types of WPA Road and Bridgework: Underpass • New Mexico Bridge • Idaho farm-to-market road • Alabama Streetcar track removal • New York Bridge • Vermont Highway • California Sidewalk • Arizona farm-to-market road • Virginia Intersection improvement • Illinois. Inventory: An Appraisal of Results of the Works Progress Administration, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1938. GGA Image ID # 151c73dfa1

🚧 WPA Roads & Bridges - 1938

Building America’s Infrastructure & Economy During the Great Depression

📖 The 1938 report on WPA Roads & Bridges provides a detailed examination of how the Works Progress Administration (WPA) transformed transportation infrastructure in the United States. Covering one-third of the entire WPA program, the report highlights the construction of roads, bridges, culverts, sidewalks, and street safety features—critical elements that enabled economic mobility, emergency access, and national connectivity. For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, this document is a valuable primary source on how New Deal policies addressed rural isolation, unemployment, and public safety during the Great Depression.

Over one-third of the entire WPA program is devoted to roads, streets, bridges, and related facilities. The mileage of roads and streets, newly built or improved by the WPA, would reach eighteen times around the globe. Nearly every American community has requested WPA projects of this type.

WPA Roads and Bridges -- 34 Percent of Total Program. Inventory: An Appraisal of Results of the Works Progress Administration, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1938. GGA Image ID # 151cd298e7

Such work is highly desirable from an employment standpoint. About four-fifths of those the WPA must employ are manual workers, unskilled or semiskilled. Road building is a type of work they can do. Moreover, road work can be spread widely through farm areas to employ rural workers and expanded or contracted to meet seasonal conditions such as the harvest. In many areas, such work has been virtually suspended during peak harvest seasons, to supply field workers, and resumed after the harvest layoffs.

Farm-to-market or secondary roads, falling outside both the Federal and State highway systems, have been the chief beneficiary of the WPA road program. Over 39,000 miles of such roads have been newly constructed— enough to span the country twelve times— while the mileage of existing rural roads improved (140,000) would reach five times around the globe.

While the bulk of this work in rural areas has consisted of building, improving, and draining dirt, clay, or gravel roads, a total of 4,400 miles of paved roads has been laid and over 4,000 miles reconditioned.

These roads usually are not eligible to share in either Federal or State highway subsidies, yet their improvement was too expensive to be undertaken entirely with limited local funds. 

To bridge streams and gullies, that these and other roads throughout the country may be usable in all weather, the WPA has built 19,229 new bridges. Though the majority of them are small and made of wood, 4,033 are of masonry construction, and 1,418 are of steel.

This is an average of over six new bridges for every county in the Nation. Their average length is slightly over 30 feet.

Besides, the WPA has repaired 18,035 existing bridges, an average of nearly six to every United States county.

Types of WPA Road and Bridge Work: Mountain Highway (California); Farm-to-Market Road (Massachusetts); Bridge (New York); Parkway (New Jersey); Street Sign (Nebraska); Retaining Wall (New York); Repaving (New York); Culvert (New York); Curb and Gutter (Alabama(; Roadside Embankment Work (Idaho). Inventory: An Appraisal of Results of the Works Progress Administration, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1938. GGA Image ID # 151d26985f

Other drainage for these roads was accomplished by the construction of 200,719 WPA culverts, whose combined length of pipe or box (1,000 miles) would reach from New York to St. Louis. Over 42,000 existing ducts have been repaired. Over 13,400 miles of roadside drainage ditches have been dug and 876 miles of lateral pipe laid.

To hundreds of thousands of farm families, these improvements mean the certainty that the doctor can reach them in time of crisis, the assurance that perishable crops can move to market when ready, reliable mail and school bus service, and, in general, a vast new social vista. Education, improvement and higher land values are the byproducts of getting the farmer out of the mud.

Cities and towns also have shared in the WPA road program to the extent of over 6,500 miles of new streets, of which almost 4,000 miles were paved, and 16,640 miles of street improvements.

WPA workers also have—

• Built 4,480 miles of new curbs and 1,590 miles of gutter.
• Equipped 203 miles of streets with 8,433 new streetlights and repaired 34,832 others.
• Made 825,078 new street signs and erected 363,848.
• Built 5,156 miles of new sidewalks and reconditioned 3,208 miles.
• Removed 452 miles of abandoned streetcar tracks.

For greater safety and pleasure on the highway, they also have—

Eliminated 24 grade crossings.

• Built 637 miles and reconstructed 369 miles of guardrails.
• Painted 2,400 miles of highway centerline, parking zone lines, and curbs.
• Landscaped 14,690 miles of highways.

ADDENDA

It must be borne in mind that all the above figures refer to the Works Progress Administration alone and cover roughly 2 years' work. If the accomplishments of the two previous agencies of work-relief (CWA and FERA) are included, the mileage of roads built or improved is 854,743, of which over 94,000 miles are new roads, about one-sixth of which were paved.

The total number of bridges and grade separations is increased to 55,964, and of culverts to 270,400. Even these figures do not include the road programs, from Works Program funds, of the Bureau of Public Roads and the CCC. These are summarized under "Other Agencies." 

"Roads and Bridges," in Inventory: An Appraisal of Results of the Works Progress Administration, Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1938, pp. 13-16.

Why This Document is Important

📜 Relevance for Different Audiences

✔ For Historians & Researchers

🔹 Illustrates the scope of federal intervention in public infrastructure, offering quantitative data on WPA accomplishments.

🔹 Shows how work relief evolved from emergency employment to permanent public improvements.

🔹 Sheds light on the relationship between federal and local governments in public works projects.

✔ For Genealogists & Family Historians

🔹 Documents where WPA projects were carried out, helping researchers trace ancestors who worked on road and bridge construction.

🔹 Indicates how rural communities were directly impacted by WPA projects, providing context for family migrations and employment records.

✔ For Teachers & Students

🔹 An excellent resource for studying the Great Depression, New Deal policies, and infrastructure development.

🔹 Provides real-world applications of economic recovery programs.

🔹 Can be used in geography and urban planning courses to understand how roads and bridges shape communities.

📌 This document is crucial for understanding the long-term benefits of WPA projects, showing how the program not only provided jobs but permanently improved American transportation infrastructure.

🛣️ The Immense Scale of WPA Road Construction

✔ Why This is Fascinating:

🔹 The WPA constructed or improved enough roads to circle the globe 18 times.

🔹 140,000 miles of rural roads were upgraded, making it easier for farmers to transport crops and families to access schools and medical care.

✔ Key Takeaway:

🔹 The federal government filled the gaps left by state and local road budgets, ensuring that even the most remote areas gained access to modern infrastructure.

📌 This section highlights how WPA projects connected rural America to cities, enhancing economic and social mobility.

🌉 The Bridge-Building Boom

✔ Why This is Fascinating:

🔹 Over 19,000 bridges were built under the WPA, averaging six new bridges per county across the U.S.

🔹 The majority were small wooden bridges, but over 4,000 were masonry and 1,400 were steel structures.

✔ Key Takeaway:

🔹 Bridges were critical to opening up isolated communities, ensuring that seasonal flooding and rough terrain did not cut off farmers and small towns from essential services.

📌 This section showcases how WPA projects literally bridged the gap between communities, enhancing transportation networks and public safety.

🚜 Farm-to-Market Roads: A Lifeline for Rural America

✔ Why This is Fascinating:

🔹 Many of these roads were not part of state or federal highway systems, meaning they were often neglected by traditional funding sources.

🔹 39,000 miles of new farm-to-market roads helped farmers transport goods faster and more efficiently, increasing economic productivity.

✔ Key Takeaway:

🔹 These roads revolutionized rural America, ensuring farmers could get their crops to buyers without delays due to poor road conditions.

📌 This section highlights how WPA projects directly contributed to agricultural and economic stability, preventing the isolation of rural communities.

🏙️ Urban Infrastructure: Streets, Sidewalks, & Safety Measures

✔ Why This is Fascinating:

🔹 WPA workers built 4,480 miles of new curbs and 1,590 miles of gutters, improving storm drainage and preventing flooding in cities.

🔹 Over 8,400 new streetlights were installed, making urban areas safer.

🔹 Over 825,000 new street signs were created and 450+ miles of old streetcar tracks were removed, modernizing transportation networks.

✔ Key Takeaway:

🔹 The WPA was not just about roads and bridges—it transformed cities, improving public safety, accessibility, and urban planning.

📌 This section emphasizes how WPA projects modernized cities, reduced traffic hazards, and enhanced urban living conditions.

🖼 Noteworthy Images & Their Significance

🖼 🚧 "WPA Roads & Bridges – 34 Percent of Total Program"

A powerful visualization of how crucial road projects were to the WPA mission, showing that over one-third of the program was dedicated to transportation infrastructure.

🖼 🌉 "Types of WPA Road and Bridge Work"

A diverse selection of infrastructure improvements, including underpasses, highway expansions, and street repairs, showcasing how WPA projects adapted to local needs.

🖼 🏗️ "WPA Projects Federal & Local Participation"

Illustrates how federal and state governments coordinated efforts, highlighting the partnership model of WPA projects.

📌 These images reinforce the scale, impact, and diversity of WPA transportation projects, making the report more engaging and informative.

Bias & Perspective Considerations

✔ Pro-WPA Tone:

🔹 The report emphasizes the positive aspects of WPA projects while downplaying criticisms of cost, inefficiencies, and bureaucracy.

🔹 No discussion of failed or abandoned projects is included.

✔ Selective Representation of Data:

🔹 The report presents total mileage and project numbers but does not provide cost-benefit analyses or comparisons with private industry efficiency.

✔ Lack of Criticism of Federal Oversight:

🔹 The report assumes local governments always benefited from WPA oversight, without discussing instances of federal overreach or mismanagement.

📌 While the report is an excellent historical document, researchers should consider additional sources for a more balanced view of WPA infrastructure programs.

Final Thoughts: Why This Report Matters

"WPA Roads & Bridges - 1938" is a definitive guide to how the WPA reshaped America’s transportation network.

It provides:

✔ A clear breakdown of road, bridge, and urban infrastructure improvements.

✔ Quantitative evidence of the WPA’s contributions to public works.

✔ Historical insight into how work relief programs provided both employment and lasting benefits.

For teachers, students, genealogists, and historians, this report is a crucial primary source that demonstrates the tangible impact of New Deal policies on everyday American life. WPA infrastructure not only provided jobs but permanently modernized transportation, making it one of the most successful public works programs in U.S. history.

🛣️ The roads and bridges built under the WPA still stand today as a testament to the power of public investment in infrastructure. 🏗️💼📚