Roads, Bridges, and Tunnels Sites

A WPA press release from Jan. 1938 reported that city streets in Medical Lake, Washington were to be improved with a WPA grant of $10,309.

A road improvement project in Mitchell, South Dakota was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Work occurred between January and June 1937. (PWA Docket No. SD 1053)

Montpelier's 40th (1935) Annual Report details many roadwork projects undertaken in 1934 with Vermont Emergency Relief Administration (VERA) funds. The 1936 annual report lists streets where VERA or Works Progress Administration (WPA) efforts were undertaken in 1935: Cherry Ave., Cliff St., Cross St., Corse St., Cutler Cemetery Road, North Franklin St., Gallison Hill Road, Gould Hill, Hill St., Marvin St., North St., Pioneer St., Pleasant St., Prospect St., Richardson St., River St., School Ave. Resurfacing was undertaken at "Berlin Hill," and construction on "Winooski Avenue." 1936 sites included: Berlin Hill Rd., Charles St., North Franklin St., Pearl St., Prospect St., Spring...

New Albany received a grant of $28,800 to improve streets 9/13/1938 as PWA project 1324. Construction began 11/17/1938 toward the $62,195 project, completed 8/21/1939.

A street improvement project in Oil City, Pennsylvania was undertaken in 1934 with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. (PWA Docket No. PA 1089)

Multiple street improvement projects in Ossining, New York were undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. For one such project the PWA supplied a $81,500 loan and $17,696 grant toward the $99,049 eventual total cost of the project. (PWA Docket No. NY 4543)

The Works Progress Administration completed road improvements in Parsons, Tucker County. The work included stone-basing the streets.

A street improvement project in Pawtucket, Rhode Island was undertaken with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $31,000 loan and $11,463 grant for the project, whose total cost was $42,611; construction occurred between May 1934 and October 1935. PWA Docket No. RI 3492.

A WPA press release from Dec. 1937 reported that "Pe Ell started a street project with $6,880 from W.P.A. funds."

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) graveled "2.1 miles of Pennsauken streets at a cost of $11,552 to WPA for labor and only $1,337 to the township for materials" in 1936. Furthermore the WPA conducted a "drainage and excavation project" involving the resurfacing of 13.9 miles of streets; "WPA cost, $322,271; township cost $25,577."

Numerous large-scale street improvement and paving projects were undertaken in Tucson, Arizona during the Great Depression with the assistance of federal Public Work Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied outright grants of more than $665,000 (not adjusted for inflation) for the work. PWA Docket Nos. AZ 1067, 1068, 1069, 1070, 1071, 1076, 1080, 1081, 1082, 1083, 1084, 1085, 1086, 1087, 1088, 1119, 1141, 1144

A street improvement project in Pierre, South Dakota was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Work occurred between October 1938 and May 1939. (PWA Docket No. SD 1197)

A street improvement project was undertaken in Pratt, Kansas during the Great Depression with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Work occurred between October and November 1933. (PWA Docket No. KS 2935)

Many street improvements were made in Prescott, Arizona during the Great Depression under a project funded by the federal Public Work Administration (PWA). It is difficult today to appreciate the importance of this kind of generic public works in a day when many city streets were still dirt or gravel. It is usually impossible to pinpoint the streets that were improved (leveling, widening, paving, gutters, storm sewers, etc.) without going into the archives of the local public works department, and most streets have been redone more than once over the last 75 years.  

A street improvement project in Rock Springs, Wyoming was undertaken with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $21,176 grant toward the $64,644 eventual total cost of the project. Work occurred between January and August 1937. (PWA Docket No. WY 1046)

A street improvement project in Rome, New York was undertaken with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $20,195 grant toward the $67,638 total cost of the project. Work occurred between August and November 1934. (PWA Docket No. NY 4244)

Alamo Stadium (previously submitted) was about to open in 1940 when the City of San Antonio applied for WPA funding to improve the streets in the surrounding neighborhood of the stadium. Streets were widened and repaved and simultaneously were developed into a new system of more convenient routes to the new Stadium. This was done in anticipation of the vehicles that would be coming on game days to the facility. The marker embedded in the curb is partially obscured by subsequent layers of asphalt. It gives a date of 1938-1940; the stadium opened September 20, 1940.  

These projects involved street improvements, curb, gutter, and sidewalk construction. They resulted in 8,875 ft of streets, 20,122 ft of curbs and gutters, and 15,792 sq ft of sidewalks. The only streets actually identified in the WPA records are Mendocino Ave from College Ave to the north city limit, and also Fourth St from E. St to the east city limit. The photo here shows that a short section of WPA sidewalk also survives on the south side of Spencer Avenue, just east of its intersection with Monroe Street. It is a standard 4’ residential walk made of parallel 24” x...

PWA Project 1343 for street improvement in Shelby was approved 9/16/1938 for a grant of $20,454. Contracts were awarded 11/30/1938 and construction began 12/5/1938. Work was completed 3/22/1939 for a total cost of $47,638. Mississippi House Bill 23 authorized the town of Shelby to borrow funds to contribute to the PWA funds.

A WPA press release from Jan. 1938 reported that city streets in Shelton, Washington were to be improved with a WPA grant of $9,493.

Multiple substantial road improvement project in Sioux Falls, South Dakota was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $53,182 grant for one street improvement project, whose total cost was $125,412. Work occurred between December 1936 and October 1937. (PWA Docket No. SD 1114) The PWA supplied a $69,955 grant for a paving project, whose total cost was $152,014. Work occurred between September 1938 and July 1939. (PWA Docket No. SD 1194)

A street improvement project in Sparks, Nevada was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $13,399 grant for the project, whose total cost was $22,921. Work occurred between December 1938 and June 1939. (PWA Docket No. NV 1039)

Emporia Gazette: "Cottonwood Falls, June 1,—Two CWA projects in Chase county which were started earlier in the year have been completed. ... The other was the street work in Strong City which was finished earlier in the month. There are several other projects soon to be completed."

One WPA project involved "considerable work to be done in Tacoma on Tacoma Avenue and Cleveland and Hendricks streets," a project which was "allotted $41,892 of WPA funds and will provide employment fer about 179 men to be taken from relief rolls."

The Works Progress Administration completed street improvements in Tribune KS in 1941.

A street improvement project in Utica, New York was undertaken with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Work occurred between December 1933 and April 1934. (PWA Docket No. NY 2271)

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) photo taken by Dan Nero and dated May 12, 1938, describes WPA improvements to East Stole Street in Wellsville, New York: "East Stole Street improved by WPA for 3500 feet. Work includes installing storm sewers, retaining walls, sidewalks, curbs, gutters and laying bituminous pavement, heavy gravel, and field stone base" (WPA). More information is needed to determine the present status and exact location of this project.

A WPA press release from Dec. 1937 reported that a road project on Whidbey Island received $23,002 in WPA funds.

The Works Progress Administration improved roads in Williamsport, Maryland. A photograph shows improvements made at Vermont St. and Salisbury St. Maryland WPA Project #6.

A street development project in Wilton, North Dakota was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Work occurred between December 1938 and August 1939. (PWA Docket No. ND X1248)

Bartlesville, Oklahoma undertook multiple street improvement and paving projects during the Great Depression with the assistance of two federal Public Work Administration (PWA) grants. Construction occurred between 1938 and 1939. PWA Docket No. OK 1316, 1410.

Multiple street development and paving projects in Bismarck, North Dakota were undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. The PWA supplied a $38,250 grant for the project, whose total cost was $82,222. Work occurred between 1938 and 1939. (PWA Docket Nos. ND X1229, X1230)

A street improvement project in Hutchinson, Kansas was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. (PWA Docket No. KS 1266) Furthermore, the Civil Works Administration (CWA) conducted numerous paving projects in Hutchinson from 1933 to 1934, including: Paving abandoned car track lanes from Fifth to 17th st.; Fifth from Washington to Monroe St.; Washington, from Fourth to Fifth St.; Ave. A from Poplar to Smith St.; Main, from 12th to 20th St. Paving two intersections into fair grounds.

The city of Biloxi embarked on a city-wide street improvement program to surface streets and provide storm drains, funded by the Works Progress Administration between 1935 and 1937. WP-53, 2000 and 3483 for three street paving projects were completed. WP-53 and 2,000 expenditure was $72,753.50 federal and $18,938 sponsor contribution. WP-3843 was for $105,505 federal and sponsor $27,625. Work included grading and shelling, asphalt pavement, and concrete storm sewer installation .

A project to improve pedestrian and vehicle safety at 12 intersections in the city of Oakland was undertaken with the assistance of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which provided relief labor for the job. State funds came from a 1/4 cent gas tax.  The improvements – called "traffic channelization" at the time – involved adding median strips, boulevard dividers, corner dividers, and so on.  Some of the work is still in place, but most of the intersections have been greatly altered or have even disappeared beneath freeways since the 1940s. Frank C. Myers and John G. Marr designed the projects and City...

Federal funding (almost certainly from the Public Works Administration (PWA)) allowed for the grading and paving of Moss Avenue in Oakland in 1934. Most of Moss Avenue was later incorporated into MacArthur Boulevard, which provided upgraded access to the new San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, completed in 1936.

A street light development project in Bradenton, Florida was undertaken with the assistance of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Work occurred between December 1938 and May 1939. PWA Docket No. FL 1560.

A street light project in Mott, North Dakota were undertaken in November 1934 with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. (PWA Docket No. ND 6892)

A street light installation project in Rome, New York was undertaken during the Great Depression with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (PWA) funds. Work occurred between March and October 1936. (PWA Docket No. NY 1058)

The extension of Wapato's street lighting system was a federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the late 1930s.