Infrastructure and Utilities Sites

Between 1934 and 1938 the WPA funded extensive construction and improvement projects at Floyd Bennett Airport. "Work completed by the WPA significantly modernized the airport facilities. By 1938, federal funds spent on airfield construction far outweighed funds contributed by New York City. During the four years the WPA worked on projects at Floyd Bennett Airport, the federal program spent approximately $4.7 million. During the same period, the city of New York contributed just over $339,000." (Cody) WPA projects in New York included "the laying of concrete runways and the erection of a machine shop at Floyd Bennett airport." Floyd Bennett Field...

Floyd Bennett Field received a  New Deal mural, commissioned by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), in 1934, and possibly in subsequent years by the Federal Art Project. The location and status of these works is unknown to Living New Deal.

The WPA Floyd River Project involved paving the channel of the river as it passed through the stockyards. The stockyards provided thousands of jobs; they were a very strong economic force in Sioux City and the surrounding agricultural industry. The purpose of providing a stable channel through that area was the prevention of river course change and erosion of the land the yards were built on. (The river had a history of doing this.) The channel is no longer in use since a major Floyd River flood changed the course of the channel yet again.

What is now Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, often known simply as Flushing Meadows, is a large park in Queens containing a wide variety of athletic facilities, a botanical garden, a museum and more. The site, which used to be a dumping ground, was first developed as a park in the late 1930s under the direction of Robert Moses in order to serve as the site for the 1939 World's Fair. In December 1938, the Department of Parks published a press release describing many of its ongoing projects, including this one: "In addition to the projects already listed, city funds have been secured for...

The Flying Yankee train was built in 1934-1935 at a cost of $275,000 (about $5.8 million in 2021 dollars). The Public Works Administration (PWA) financed the train’s construction with a loan. The Flying Yankee’s route started in Portland, Maine and ended in Boston, Massachusetts, and it ran from 1935 to 1957 for the Boston & Maine and Maine Central railroads, sometimes under different names, such as “The Business Man.” When it first arrived on the scene it was viewed as a futuristic, technological wonder, with many innovations. It was lightweight, quiet, economic, capable of 100+ mph, and made of stainless steel....

"Fontana Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Little Tennessee River in Swain and Graham counties, North Carolina, United States. The dam is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the early 1940s to accommodate the skyrocketing electricity demands in the Tennessee Valley at the height of World War II. At 480 feet high, Fontana is the tallest dam in the Eastern United States, and at the time of its construction, it was the fourth tallest dam in the world." (Wikipedia)

A 1934 issue of California Highway & Public Works magazine reported that 3.53 miles of road from Tunnel Station on the San Fernando Road to Olive View Hospital (formerly Sanitarium) was constructed between Dec. 1933 and Oct. 1934 northwest of San Fernando to finally complete former state highway 4 within the Los Angeles area. A reinforced concrete bridge across the Southern Pacific Railroad was constructed along with a bridge across a spur track to the Hercules Powder company plant. Federal aid for this portion of road and the bridges was $281,000.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted a project "installing surface drains on Forbes Street, from Willow Brook southerly to a point about 1500 feet south of Silver Lane. About 25 men will be employed for four months."

In 1933-34, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) carried out pavement repair and other unspecified improvements to a long segment of Fordham Road NW, from Rockwood Parkway to Massachusetts Avenue.   The road was paved with “temporary material consisting of broken-concrete base, broken stone, and slag. These large aggregates are choked with smaller material, and an application of asphaltic cement completes the operation. This construction forms a very good temporary roadway.”   The work is likely still extant, but invisible and unmarked.  

The Forest Ave. bridge, which spans a creek between Lyon Street and Lakeview Street, was completed in 1940 with funds and labor provided by the Work Projects Administration (WPA).

The W.P.A. constructed sidewalks in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, including along West Forest Ave. There is a Works Projects Administration 1941 medallion embedded in the sidewalk in front of 238 W. Forest Ave.

Description of a project undertaken by the W.P.A. in 1937: "Forest Grove Road, Waltham; a project to widen, relocate and improve this roadway, which traverses land in the Charles River Reservation, was approved and work was started in November, 1937. The bulk of the work will, however, have to await favorable weather in the spring."

Spanning what is now known as Forest Hills Blvd., the historic pedestrian bridge at Forest Hill Park in East Cleveland, Ohio was constructed with federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) labor. "Spanning 347 feet across a deep valley in the Dugway Brook watershed, the 48-foot-high pedestrian bridge was intended to nestle in the hilly landscape of the Heights (the westernmost foothills of the Appalachians) on Cleveland's east side. Designed by Wilbur Watson and Associates in 1939 with consulting architects F. B. Walker and A. D. Taylor, Forest Hill Park Footbridge was built in 1939-40--the work of more than 1,000 men toiling for two...

This CCC Camp in Indian Township was called the "Far East" 192nd co. camp, and was under the immediate supervision of the Maine Forest Service from June 1933 to June 1941. The Far East Camp focused on forest culture, road construction and maintenance, and extended West Street on what is presently called the Stud Mill Road. During WWII the camp was modified, in part, by the addition of a barbed wire fence, additional fences, and four guard towers. After approval from the U.S. Truman Committee this camp then became a Prisoner of War camp in 1944 and housed from 250-500 German...

Forest Park is one of the largest municipal parks in the nation, just larger than Central Park in NYC. It was the site of the 1904 Worlds Fair and the WPA projects in the park transformed it and brought it up to date, including much clearing of brush in places where it had become overgrown. In places, it truly was and still is a forest. Projects included: roads through-out the park, handball courts, tennis courts (now the Davis Tennis Center), draining lakes that had been constructed for the World's Fair and which had filled in and had debris-filled to an...

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) provided labor for the paving of Forest Street in Amherst, Ohio starting in 1937.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) paved 34 streets in Hartford, Connecticut, including Forest Street, as part of a $2.5 million, two-year paving project begun in 1937. The federal government contributed $1 million.

"Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park is located seven miles (11 km) south of Mandan, North Dakota. The park is home to On-A-Slant Indian Village, the blockhouses and the Custer house. President Theodore Roosevelt signed the deed to the land to the state in 1907 as Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park... In 1934, the Civilian Conservation Corps built a visitor center, shelters, and roads. They also reconstructed military blockhouses and placed cornerstones to mark where fort buildings once stood, as well as replicating Mandan earthen lodges. Additional reproductions have since been built on the site creating a replica Mandan village, called "On-a-Slant Village."...

The federal Works Progress Administration worked to develop Fort Bliss. El Paso Herald-Post: "Another $50,000 in WPA funds, ... will be used to hire labor to paint and repair Ft. Bliss buildings, to build roads, and other improvements on the reservation."

Between 1935 and 1938, the WPA performed structural renovation and historic restoration work at this site. From the Bridger Valley Pioneer: One of the Valley projects funded by WPA was the artesian well in Fort Bridger. It still runs today, but sits in a sad state of disrepair. A local group, the Fort Bridger Beautification Committee working as a state centennial committee approached the Uinta County Commissioners to be able to improve the lot and make the well site a nice area for the community. The committee even received state grant to improve a small portion of the available property....

The Civil Works Administration (CWA), Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) performed structural renovation and historic restoration work at this site. Casper Star-Tribune, 1934: "Dedication of the new traps today at the Izaak Walton league park near the old site of Fort Caspar will afford the Casper public opportunity to view extensive Improvement work carried on there for several months as a CWA project. Progress made in construction of a spacious, rustic lodge of logs, and a fence of the same material, and the planting of hundreds of trees and shrubs will be open to inspection. When...

Dating from WWI, Fort Dix provided training for soldiers enlisted in the U.S. Army. According to a Works Progress Administration (WPA) Information Division document, the WPA engaged in “Campwide improvement to grounds, including grading, checking of soil erosion, improvements to drainage to eliminate mud, and clearing fire trails and brush; construction of target pits and machine gun range, landing field, one mile of railroad. Construction or repair of garage, motor repair shop, schools, tent floors, incinerator, sawmill, woodshop, quarters, storage buildings, mess hall, cold storage plant, hospital, airport buildings, disposal plant, improvements of water supply system, clearing of ditches...

According to Work: A Journal of Progress, Works Progress Administration (WPA) crews did roadway excavation and other work on Fort Drive in Fort Reno Park, in front of the Alice Deal School, as well as landscaping the slopes of nearby Reno Road  in 1936.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) carried out pavement repair and other, unspecified improvements to a segment of Fort Drive NW, near Nebraska Avenue, in 1935-36. The work was part of the $949,496 WPA allotment for DC roadwork for fiscal year 1936.   The work is likely still extant, but invisible beneath subsequent repairs and paving.    

The former Fort Ethan Allen, which occupied land in the towns of Colchester and Essex, Vermont, was a military installation that operated between 1894 and 1944. The base, as well as associated encampments, underwent massive efforts by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Projects included: Improve and reconstruct buildings, transportation facilities, utilities, systems, and other appurtenant work. Cost: $293,531. Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Ethan Allen, U.S Army. WPA Project No. 765-12-2-1 Improve Machine Gun School and Officer's Training Corps Camps. Cost: $55,211. Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Ethan Allen, U.S Army. WPA Project Nos. 785-12-3-5, 765-12-2-6 A non-construction project to improve buildings, public...

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) developed conducted improvement work at what was then Fort H. G. Wright. The following projects were sponsored by the Commanding Officer, Fort H. G. Wright, U.S. Army. Description: Improve buildings, facilities, and grounds Official Project Number: 165‐2‐15‐99 Total project cost: $31,871.00 Description: Improve roads, buildings, and facilities Official Project Number: 265‐2‐15‐23 Total project cost: $72,732.00

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted substantial development work at the former Fort Hancock. Numerous projects undertaken by the New Deal agency, totaling more than two million dollars , included utility and infrastructure overhauls, building new military facilities, reconstructing docks, erecting a training camp, and even building tennis courts.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work along the railroad at what was then Fort Hancock, New Jersey in 1936.

The Work Projects Administration (WPA) worked to develop and improve Fort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania. Work, approved in the fall of 1940, included "improvements to the landing field, construction and improvement of buildings and installation of sewer and electric lines."

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted development efforts at Fort Leavenworth as part of multiple projects totaling more than $1 million. Projects included: Construct and improve buildings, structures, and facilities. Cost: $150,000. Sponsor: War Department ‐Q.M.C. WPA Project No. 113‐3‐82‐7 Construct and rehabilitate barracks and quarters and utilities. Cost: $355,045. Sponsor: War Department ‐Q.M.C. WPA Project No. 13‐3‐82‐7 Improve buildings and grounds. Cost: $424,649. Sponsor: War Department. WPA Project No. 165‐2‐82‐23 Improve roads and streets. Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Leavenworth, U.S. Army. WPA Project No. 365‐82‐1‐1 Make general improvements to buildings, utilities, walks, and grounds. Cost: $45,230. Sponsor: Commanding...

The main campus of Fort Lewis College was moved to Durango, Colorado in 1956, but before then it was located at this site, 16 miles southwest of Durango on what was originally a military site, then a boarding school for Native Americans, then a high school, then a two-year college. Since the 1950s, this has been the site of the San Juan Basin Research Center and is currently connected to Fort Lewis College once more as an auxiliary campus used for agricultural research among other purposes. During the 1930s, New Deal programs contributed important resources to the campus: "Dean Bader faced...

Fort Loudon Dam is one of many New Deal dams built by the Tennessee Valley Authority: "In the mid-1930s, TVA drafted its "unified plan," a series of long-term goals that called for the construction of a series of dams along the Tennessee River to provide a minimum 9-foot (2.7 m) navigation channel along the entire length of the river, control flooding in the Tennessee Valley, and bring electricity to the area. The Fort Loudoun project was initially known as a the Coulter Shoals project, named for a site identified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 6 miles (9.7 km) upstream from the...

Take up and relay approximately 800 lineal feet of railroad track serving Fort Mason, including new ties and ballast.--Mooser, p. 95.

This gate is an amazing engineering feet. It lays at approximately 250 feet long and is in very nice shape. This gate, once completed, was used as the post's main gate prior to the cantonment area moving to North of Highway 21 in 1942. Work on this gate started in 1940 and most likely was completed in 1941. The road, which is County Highway A has existed since the base opened in 1909. There is a historical sign outlining the WPA's contributions to then Camp McCoy.

Per a historical account of Fort McCoy, written as a result of the base's 100th anniversary, it was mentioned that the WPA worked on post during the construction of Highway 21 near the Fort. This construction resulted in many buildings and two stone gates. Per the 2009 report, the two stone gates were the only structures that remained. This stone gate is located on Ginger Road just off of Highway 21 going into South Post. This gate is still standing but it has degraded with time. Ginger Road leads to the current base housing unit for permanent Soldiers and families.

The Fort is located on the West side of the island. Build rubble masonry walls, install irrigation system, excavation, weeding, seeding, and trimming slopes, transplanting seedlings.--Mooser, p. 94.

The W.P.A. conducted development work at Fort Missoula in Montana. W.P.A. project info: "Construct additions to buildings" Official Project Number: 13‐3‐91‐160 Total project cost: $103,566.00 Sponsor: War Department "Construct additions to buildings" Official Project Number: 13‐3‐91‐35 Total project cost: $125,000.00 Sponsor: War Department "Construct additions to buildings" Official Project Number: 13‐3‐91‐X Sponsor: War Department "Construct additions to buildings" Official Project Number: 13‐3‐91‐X Total project cost: $21,434.00 Sponsor: War Department "Reconstruct and improve buildings and grounds" Official Project Number: 165‐2‐91‐81 Total project cost: $72,084.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Missoula, U.S. Army "Reconstruct, rehabilitate, and improve buildings and grounds" Official Project Number: 565‐91‐2‐14 Total project cost: $62,711.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Fort Missoula, U.S. Army "Reconstruct and improve buildings and grounds" Official Project...

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted millions of dollars (not even adjusted for inflation) of improvement and development work at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey. No aspects of the installation were left untouched: improvement and construction work involved developing "an auxiliary flying field," roads, sidewalks, electrical, heading, plumbing and sewer systems, and erosion control. All manners of facilities were built, refurbished, improved, or expanded. A captioned image in "The Dawn," a WPA publication, states that conducted "extensive repair work" at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey ca. 1936. Here is one typical project description, Official Project #765‐22‐2‐14: Improve buildings, including general overhauling of plumbing, heating, and...

The WPA worked to improve the facilities and infrastructure at Fort Mott, southwest of Pennsville, New Jersey. The site is now a state park. These WPA projects were sponsored by the Commanding Officer, Fort DuPont, U.S. Army: "Improve cemetery road and dock road, including placing curbs, grading and paving roadway" Official Project Number: 765‐22‐1‐5 Total project cost: $12,198.00 "Improve buildings, grounds, and facilities" Official Project Number: 165‐2‐22‐215 Total project cost: $137,676.00 "Rehabilitate and improve buildings, facilities, and grounds" Official Project Number: 65‐2‐22‐365 Total project cost: $17,435.00

Fort Necessity National Battlefield in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, preserves the site of the Battle of Fort Necessity. "In 1935-37, a Civilian Conservation Corps camp was located at Fort Necessity. The Corps constructed barracks and other support buildings at the site of the present day administration and maintenance facilities. The Fort Necessity Memorial Association had hoped the CCC would repair and restore the tavern, but very little, if any, of this work was actually done by the Corps. The Corps planted trees, constructed small dams, built bridges, culverts, picnic areas and roadways. The buildings were razed, but many of the other structures...