Infrastructure and Utilities Sites

“One of the CCC’s most important contributions was the well-engineered twenty-six-million-gallon capacity reservoir and dam in Rose Creek Meadow. The Rose Creek Reservoir was an incredible undertaking due to its location more than halfway up the mountainside. The labor-intensive water impoundment was largely constructed by manual labor and horse-drawn Fresno Scrapers. The long-term advantages of the Rose Creel Reservoir live on as the reservoir continues to provide a significant source of water to this day. Subsequent efforts focused on transporting additional water to the depot on the valley floor. CCC crews soon completed a 4.5-mile duplicate water-supply system (pipeline) and...

The bridge carrying Rose Hill Road across Carr Brook in Portland, Connecticut was constructed by the W.P.A. in 1938.

The Rosebank railway station was rebuilt as a concrete structure during the mid-1930s as part of a massive grade separation project along what was then the South Beach Branch of the Staten Island Railway. The station had "two tracks and two side platforms, and was located along Tilson Place between Virginia Avenue and St. Mary's Avenue." Long since abandoned (as the line was discontinued in 1953), the structure has since been demolished. The Public Works Administration (PWA) provided a $1.46 million grant for the $6 million grade crossing elimination project, which included work elsewhere in Staten Island and even in Manhattan. PWA Docket No. NY 4926.

News-Press NOW: "Rosecrans Field got a large hangar, thanks to the WPA; it survived until the 1993 flood led to its demolition."

Delaware utilized substantial federal resources in developing and improving its road network during the Great Depression. Among the dozens of projects undertaken by the federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) during 1934 was construction along a road from "Five Points to Rehoboth." Living New Deal believes this to be what is now known as Route 1; Five Points was a historical intersection of several roads just east of Belltown. An average of 1,410 were put to work each week during 1934 as a result of the CWA’s road, sidewalk, bridge, and other related infrastructure efforts in Delaware.  

Delaware utilized substantial federal resources in developing and improving its road network during the Great Depression. Among the dozens of projects undertaken by the federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) during 1934 was construction, specifically "surface treatment," of what Living New Deal believes to be Route 1, between Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach. An average of 1,410 were put to work each week during 1934 as a result of the CWA’s road, sidewalk, bridge, and other related infrastructure efforts in Delaware.  

The W.P.A. worked to develop Route 111 in York County, Maine. W.P.A. project information: “Route 111” Official Project Number: 65‐1‐11‐2165 Total project cost: $69,800.00

Delaware utilized substantial federal resources in developing and improving its road network during the Great Depression. Among the dozens of projects undertaken by the federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) during 1934 was construction of what Living New Deal believes to be Route 14, west of Harrington, from Flemings Corner to the Maryland state line. An average of 1,410 were put to work each week during 1934 as a result of the CWA’s road, sidewalk, bridge, and other related infrastructure efforts in Delaware.  

Delaware utilized substantial federal resources in developing and improving its road network during the Great Depression. Among the dozens of projects undertaken by the federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) during 1934 was construction of what is now State Route 16 from Milton (specifically, "Rehoboth Road") east to Broadkill Beach. An average of 1,410 were put to work each week during 1934 as a result of the CWA’s road, sidewalk, bridge, and other related infrastructure efforts in Delaware.  

LOC: "Fort Worth & Denver City Railroad Underpass, Spanning State Highway 183 at Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad, Fort Worth, Tarrant County, TX: An example of Fort Worth's exceptional network of grade separation structures, the underpass as a good example of a cooperative effort by the Texas Highway Department and the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads to eliminate dangerous grade crossings in Texas during the Great Depression." The bridges at: 32.79525, -97.33843 and 32.795109, -97.338925 bear plaques.

Delaware utilized substantial federal resources in developing and improving its road network during the Great Depression. Among the dozens of projects undertaken by the federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) during 1934 was construction along Route 2—then part of the Lincoln Highway!—in Marshallton. Work included shoulder widening along the route. An average of 1,410 were put to work each week during 1934 as a result of the CWA’s road, sidewalk, bridge, and other related infrastructure efforts in Delaware.  

2.5 miles of highway was graded and surfaced near Clear Lake at a cost of $95,000 thanks to federal funds. Work began on this project during December 1934.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) undertook a project beginning December 24, 1935 that would employ "16 men for three months" working to develop / improve "an 11-mile road south of Silverton to Floyd County line."

Delaware utilized substantial federal resources in developing and improving its road network during the Great Depression. Among the dozens of projects undertaken by the federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) during 1934 was the widening of Route 26 between Bethany Beach and Clarksville. An average of 1,410 were put to work each week during 1934 as a result of the CWA’s road, sidewalk, bridge, and other related infrastructure efforts in Delaware.  

The Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) rebuilt East Main St., what is now Route 2A, in Orange, Mass. Work included removal of obsolete trolley tracks and road resurfacing.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) completed improvements on Route 307, heading south from Scranton toward the Poconos, and to New York City. The project also included work on the scenic overlook with a parking lot located on the side of Route 307, at the coordinates noted below. Contributor note: A family member worked on the WPA project that improved Route 307.

Delaware utilized substantial federal resources in developing and improving its road network during the Great Depression. Among the dozens of projects undertaken by the federal Civil Works Administration (C.W.A.) during 1934 was construction along a road connecting Richardson Park to Wilmington. Living New Deal believes this to be what is now known as Delaware Route 4. Wikipedia notes that this "originally a county road that was paved in the 1930s." According to Delaware's Annual Report of the Chief Engineer State Highway Department, 1934: The work was carried on throughout the State, and consisted largely of clearing and grubbing, ditching, grading, sodding, construction...

The old Fresno-Yosemite road (today's state highway 41) was rebuilt during the New Deal with aid from the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) to the California Division of Highways.  The old road, built for wagons in the 19th century, was notoriously bad and unsuited for the boom in automobile traffic into Yosemite National Park from southern California by the 1920s (Broesamle ms). In 1926, Congress began providing additional funds to the BPR to build roads within the national parks, in alliance with the National Park Service, and then added more funding in 1932 for access roads to the parks. The first park...

The WPA completed road work along "Route 65, Sections A & B. Widening present narrow Rd. and installing culverts." WPA Proj. No. 65-3-4920, February 18, 1936, $5,052. Route 65 in the mid 1960s was supplanted by State Route 49, The Golden Chain Highway, a state highway in California that travels 320 miles from Oakhurst to Vinton, California. According to AA Roads, "SR 49 received its designation in honor of the 49ers. The state route is frequently referred to as the Gold Country Highway, Mother Lode Highway, Golden Chain Highway, and other names that speak to its heritage as the main highway to...

"Stone retaining walls that line streets and highways throughout the region -- along Route 611 in Easton, Spruce Street in Tamaqua and Carlton Avenue in Bethlehem -- were WPA projects." The precise location of these walls along Route 611 in Easton is presently unclear to Living New Deal.

The Public Works Administration (PWA) and the federal Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) funded a large amount of road building around Arizona during the New Deal. One of the highway projects was an underpass for Route 66 beneath the busy Santa Fe railroad line that passes through the center of Flagstaff, which greatly helped relieved traffic jams of cars and trucks waiting for trains to pass. The underpass cost $125,000, of which the city contributed only $5,000.  The PWA grant was awarded in June 1934 and the underpass was finished by Christmas (Cline, p. 308). The underpass carries two lanes of traffic...

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to improve roads and highways in Winslow Township, New Jersey. Improvements to the 2.4-mile stretch of what was then known as Egg Harbor Road between Davis Avenue and Florence Road were part of a greater construction program to "connect eight farm roads ... into a network of feeders to the White Horse Pike and other market arteries." Federal funds: $263,631; sponsor funds: $18,505.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted improvement work along U.S. 9 just north of Keeseville, New York in 1939, including "widening, grading, shoulders, and installations of culverts and guard rails in addition to giving it a sub base of gravel." Work was described as taking place along "Soper road from the intersection with Port Kent road ... westerly from 1.1 miles toward Keeseville." While neither Soper Road or Port Kent Road is a formal road name today, logic dictates that Soper Road is U.S. 9.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) installed a six-inch water main along Rowan Street in Middletown, New York.

A disastrous flood in June 1935 washed away the existing highway bridge across the Llano River in Llano, Texas. The Texas Highway Department designed a new bridge in the fall of 1935 and built a new two-lane four-span Parker through truss bridge using Federal Emergency Relief funds made available through the Hayden-Cartwright Act of 1934, although no specific federal agency is noted for administration of the funds. The Austin Bridge Company constructed the bridge in 1936 at a cost of $155,724. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a contributing structure to the Llano County Courthouse...

From January to April 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) oversaw the excavation of Rubio Wash in Altadena, CA. "Under this project, accumulated debris was excavated from debris basin and hauled with wheelbarrows to fill an adjoining area. It is estimated that 6,000 cubic yards were removed."

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built and graded roads leading to the newly created Ruby Lake Wildlife Refuge, in order  to connect with existing state highways to Wells NV, where the railroad passed.  The road up the east side of the valley was entirely new, while the west side county road was improved.   "Using a combination of heavy equipment and manual labor, the CCC built the 26-mile long ‘East Service Road.’ In all, Ruby Lake enrollees graded 52 miles of road service, including 19 miles of county road, between the refuge and the oiled highway (State Route 229) that led...

Sometimes mis-attributed to the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the former Rulo Bridge, which carried U.S. 159 from the village of Rulo in Richardson County, Nebraska, to Holt County, Missouri, over the Missouri River, was enabled by a grant provided by the federal Public Works Administration (PWA). NRHP: "In September 1938, the Public Works Administration agreed to fund 45 percent of the bridge's construction, the total grant not to exceed $326,250. To cover the balance, the county released a bond issue which was to be repaid through bridge revenue." Wikipedia: "In March 2009, Nebraska Department of Roads approved a plan for a...

The federal Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) furnished the cost of labor for the cleaning of the two reservoirs for the Town of Hatfield: the Mountain Street and Running Gutter Reservoirs. Town Report: "With the help of WPA funds, we have done some work at the reservoir this summer. The small reservoir can be cleaned in one day, with two men; while it took fifteen men there for two weeks."

The Western Construction News notes REA work in this small town of 903 (1930 census). "The REA has alloted $82,000 to the Big Horn Rural Electric Company, Basin WY, for construction of 85 miles of transmission lines in Big Horn County, Wyoming."

The Western Construction News reports of REA work in rural Washington state. "The REA has alloted $45,000 to the Benton Rural Electrification Association, Benton City Washington, for construction of 43 miles of transmission lines in Benton County Washington." "The Benton Rural Electric Association was incorporated on April 19, 1937, to serve the rural areas of Benton and adjacent counties. Armed with a $45,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture loan through the Rural Electrification Association for planning and construction, the Association completed 43 miles of line. Benton REA first flipped the switch in May of 1938, lighting 89 rural farms in Benton and Yakima...

The Western Construction News of June 1937 notes REA work in rural South West Oregon. " The REA has alloted $108,000 to the Blachly-Lane County Cooperative Electric Association, Blachly Oregon, for construction of 87 miles of transmission lines in Lane County Oregon." Lane county in 1930 was very sparsely populated with only 54,493 people. "In 1934, one of the first people's utility districts in Oregon was formed, Lake Creek Public Utility District. But before the state and federal governments acted on the application, the Rural Electrification Act was passed and members of the Lake Creek PUD voted to go with the Rural...

The June 1937 issue of Western Construction Magazine notes that "The R.E.A. has alloted $250,000 to the Morgan County Rural Electric Association, Fort Morgan Colorado, for construction of 248 miles of transmission lines in MORGAN and WELLS COUNTIES." "Morgan County Rural Electric Association was organized on April 27, 1937. Morgan County was the third REA to be organized in Colorado. The Charter Board of Directors included: H. W. Bigler, C. C. Daily, J. R. Henderson, O. E. Kinnaman, Ernest Rosener, W. F. Tormohlen, G. E. Trewet, N. C. Wagers and George T. White. The first official meeting of the Board of...

The Western Construction News notes electric projects in Wyoming and Idaho by the REA. "The REA has alloted $145,000 to the Lower Valley Power & Light, Inc., Freedom Wyoming for construction of 90 miles of transmission lines and a generating plant in Lincoln County Wyoming and Bonneville and Caribou Counties, Idaho. Estimated cost of generating plant is $42,000." "Lower Valley Energy began in 1937 as Lower Valley Power & Light, Inc. with just 10 members signed up for this new cooperative. In 1999 when the name changed to Lower Valley Energy there were over 13,000 members. As a result of diligent efforts of...

The Western Construction News reported of REA work in Washington State. "The REA has alloted $88,000 to the Cowlitz County Public Utility District No. 1, Kalama Wash., to finance construction of 81 miles of electric transmission lines." " Cowlitz County Public Utility District, a Depression era institution that provides electric utility services to 47,400 customers (including 42,400 residential customers and 5,200 commercial clients) in its service territory. The municipal utility also serves more than 3,800 Longview-Kelso area water utility customers. Like 27 other PUDs in Washington state, Cowlitz County Public Utility District has the authority to offer electric, water, wastewater, and wholesale...

The June 1937 issue of Western Construction News reported "The REA has alloted $164,000 to the Central Valley Rural Cooperative Electric Company, Lake Arthur New Mexico, for constructing a generating plant estimated $60,000 and to construct 84 miles of transmission lines, estimated cost $104,000 in Eddy and Chaves Counties New Mexico." The company exists today "Central Valley Electric was incorporated June 23, 1937. CVE received its first loan from the Rural Electrification Administration for $90,000. From this modest beginning CVE has expanded its plant to $86.2 million dollars, providing service to more than 4,000 members who require in excess of 15,000...

The June 1937 issue of Western Construction News notes REA work in Idaho. "The REA has alloted $75,000 to the Clearwater Valley Light and Power Association, Lewiston Idaho, for construction of a generating plant of 800 KW capacity." "The REA has alloted $400,000 to the Clearwater Valley Light & Power Association, Lewiston Idaho, for construction of 300 miles of transmission lines in Idaho and Washington." "In 1936, Kenneth Summers was manager at a farmer's co-op, the Lenore Grain and Seed Grower's Company. The machines, needed to process the grain seed, needed electricity but the nearest power line was many miles away. Despite repeated...

The Western Construction News of June 1937 reported on REA work in Wyoming. "The REA has alloted $50,000 to the Garland Power & Light Company for constructing 50 miles of transmission lines in Park County Wyoming." The company still exists to serve a small area of Northwest Wyoming as part of the The Wyoming Rural Electric Association.

The Western Construction News reported on REA work in Wyoming. "The REA has alloted $50,000 to the Washakie Rural Electric Company, Worland Wyoming, for construction of 50 miles of transmission lines in Washakie and Big Horn Counties, Wyoming." "High Plains Power, Inc. is a member owned electric cooperative serving just over 13,000 meters in central Wyoming. High Plains has over 4,800 miles of powerline covering 12,500 square miles in parts of Fremont, Hot Springs, Washakie, Natrona, Carbon, Big Horn, Johnson and Park counties. High Plains Power was formed in 1998 when the memberships of the former Riverton Valley Electric Association and Hot Springs...

Along Maple Street, Carrollton is the site of the first Rural Electrification Administration substation in Carroll County, Georgia.