Roads, Bridges, and Tunnels Sites

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

According to Tuolumne County Historian Carlo De Ferrari, the Works Progress Administration worked extensively along Wards Ferry Road, doing widening and other improvement work. Excerpts from WPA job cards: WPA Project No. 65-3-100, Date 8/27/35, $12,124, "Street Repairs". WPA Project No. 65-3-102 Date 8/27/35, $11,293, "New road construction." WPA Project No. 65-3-103, Date 8/27/35, $11,232, "Road Improvement" WPA Project No. 65-3-3836, Date 12/14/35, $1,947, "Construct retaining wall." WPA Project No. 65-3-4400, Date 1/17/36, $8,977, "Construction of a concrete bridge and a new road to approach bridge."

A Boston Public Works Department report cited Federal Emergency Relief Administration (F.E.R.A.) labor as conducting the following work: "Warren and Charlestown Bridges, repairs to fender piers." Warren Bridge was demolished in 1962.

In 1936, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) completed a paving project at the intersection of 42nd and Warren Streets NW.  The intersection is characterized by a gracious, curving triangle with a small park in the center, likely the result of the WPA's work.  This project was part of a nearly $1 million in WPA road work around the district in 1935-36. The road still exists though the WPA pavement is probably invisible today.

Wasatch Boulevard, which runs from Salt Lake City along the base of the Wasatch Mountains down to Big Cottonwood Canyon, was a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. For years Wasatch Boulevard was a popular scenic route along the base of the mountains to the canyons and recreation areas south of the city, like Big Cottonwood Canyon and Alta ski resort.  In the past, it ran in splendid isolation beneath the formidable Wasatch front. Today, Wasatch Boulevard is overshadowed by the Interstate 215, as well as massive new housing and commercial developments, as metropolitan Salt Lake City has exploded along the Wasatch front.  The photographs...

Roanoke, Virginia's Wasena Bridge was constructed as a federal Public Works Administration (PWA) project between 1938 and 1939 by Contractor M. S. Hudgins, Wisconsin Bridges & Iron Company and Consulting Engineers, Barrington & Cortelyou . The bridge carries the traffic of Main St. SW (Route 221) above train tracks, the Roanoke River, and Wasena Park, between Old Southwest / downtown Roanoke and the neighborhood of Wasena. The PWA provided a $149,265 grant for the bridge's construction; the final cost of the project was $336,254. Construction occurred between August 1938 and August 1939. PWA and dedication plaques are located at the north end of the...

The Works Progress Administration built a farm-to-market road connecting Washburn with Gillespie, in Ritchie County.

The bridge carrying Washington Avenue in Brooklyn over the railroad tracks by Prospect Park was rebuilt during the 1930s as a Public Works Administration (PWA) project.

The Bureau of Public Roads provided funds to construct an overpass carrying Washington Avenue over the railroad in New Market, Piscataway Township, N.J. The project was undertaken as part of a larger grade crossing elimination initiative during that era. Living New Deal believes this structure has since been replaced. New Jersey Board of Public Utility Commissioners: "A "Works Program-State Highway Department" project on which the Board initiated proceedings and on January 7, 1936, issued an order to eliminate the grade crossing at Washington Avenue. The proceedings originally affected three grade crossings located in close proximity to each other on Prospect Street, Main Street and Washington Avenue but the...

In 1934 the Civil Works Adminiistration (C.W.A.) and Emergency Relief Administration (E.R.A.) conducted the following improvement work along part of Washington St. in the City of Barre: The street was widened, graded, drained, slopes sodded and granite retaining walls built. The W.P.A. removed disused street car rails from the street in 1938.

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 Washington Street in Wilmington. 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 of sidewalks, building of masonry culverts and bridges and the re­ pairing of dikes along the banks of the Delaware and Christian Rivers. An average of 1,410 were put to work each week...

The Works Progress Administration carried out improvement work on Washington Street in Columbia, Alabama.

A 6'3"-span stone arch bridge on Water Street, in Tewksbury, New Jersey, was widened by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The structure is located approximately halfway between Longview Rd. and Rockaway Rd.

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked on a land reclamation and shore beautification project on the south shore of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. As part of the project Water Street was widened by 12 feet and paved with macadam. Sidewalks and curbs were installed and 300 feet of hedges were transplanted.

Works Progress Administration (WPA) conducted the following work in Plymouth, Massachusetts. WPA Bulletin: Additional Parking Space for the thousands of visitors who annually visit historical Plymouth Rock will be provided with the completion of this WPA Water Street stone sea-wall.

"This bridge is part of a street construction program undertaken to allow traffic passing through the city to bypass the congested business area. The project consisted of the construction of approximately 11,300 feet of highway connecting Roosevelt Avenue at one end with Houghton Avenue at the other, the construction of a rigid frame bridge at State Street with ramps up to State Street, and the construction of the Watershops Pond Bridge illustrated on this page. This bridge has steel girders and concrete spans with hung arches and stone facing on concrete piers and abutments resting on pile foundations. The total length...

The W.P.A. conducted extensive improvement and development projects at the former Watertown Arsenal. Project details: "Rehabilitate and make general improvements to buildings, utilities, facilities, and grounds" Official Project Number: 165‐2‐14‐363 Total project cost: $641,063.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Watertown Arsenal, U.S. Army "Make general repairs and improvements to buildings and grounds" Official Project Number: 165‐24‐2005 Total project cost: $107,860.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer and Board of Selection "Construct additions to buildings at Watertown Arsenal" Official Project Number: 165‐3‐14‐263 Total project cost: $67,884.00 Sponsor: War Department "Construct additions to existing buildings, rehabilitate and modernize buildings, utilities, and facilities, and improve grounds" Official Project Number: 165‐3‐14‐265 Total project cost: $111,100.00 Sponsor: Commanding Officer, Watertown Arsenal, U.S. Army "Recondition...

"From 1935 until 1941, young men at the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp SP44 in Watkins Glen State Park built park buildings, trails, stonework, bridges, and many other projects." The buildings of the CCC camp now serve as the Hidden Valley 4-H Camp.

"The Sentry Bridge dates back to the 1930s and was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The bridge is located at Watkins Glen State Park near the main entrance to the Gorge Trail ..."

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

The WPA worked on Wawona St. between 19th Ave. and 28th Ave.

The WPA allocated $409,637 to conduct repairs along Webster Avenue in the Bronx during the 1930s. WPA Official Project No. 65-97-439(?).

The Civil Works Administration (CWA) supplied labor toward the following project in Golovin, Alaska: "A road is being built to a well half a mile out of Golovin and the well is dug deeper and larger. It is hoped that this well will prove a better source of water than has even been here before." The location of this project is currently unknown to Living New Deal.

A previous iteration of the Wellington Bridge, which carried Fellsway across Mystic River between Somerville and Medford, was constructed as a New Deal-sponsored P.W.A. project. "The completion of the Wellington Bridge, constructed under the authorization of Chapter 365 of the Acts of 1933 as a Public Works Administration Project, is a fine example of a public improvement made possible through Federal aid." "National Industrial Recovery Project Mass. State D-1, P.W.A. Docket No. 4478. Furnishing and installing lighting standards, cables and other materials on the Wellington Bridge in Somerville and Medford"

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 Welsh Tract Road in Newark. 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.  

According to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, “Some of the park development and most of the road systems are attributed to Civilian Conservation Corps activities in the 1930s.”

The federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) worked to improve Wesleyan Drive outside Macon in Bibb County, Georgia ca. 1936.

The federal Work Projects Administration (WPA) put many men to work starting in 1935 with a Bronx street repair and maintenance project along roads throughout the borough. The streets, many of which in New York City were still unpaved, were surfaced with penetrated macadam. Roads improved included street and sidewalk repairs on West 231st Street from Corlear Avenue to Riverdale Avenue.

On October 27, 1938, the City of Austin accepted an aid package from the Public Works Administration for the construction of bridges and extensions of storm sewers not to exceed $132,300. One of the projects the city used the money for was to widen the bridge on West 24th Street over Shoal Creek. The original concrete bridge was built in 1928. By the mid-1930s, the narrow bridge was no longer adequate for the cars traveling between downtown and the new suburbs west of Shoal Creek. In order to widen the original bridge, the abutments and piers were extended to support new...

On October 27, 1938, the City of Austin accepted an aid package from the Public Works Administration for the construction of bridges and extensions of storm sewers not to exceed $132,300. One of the projects the city used the money for was to build a bridge on West 29th Street over Shoal Creek. On December 27, 1938, the city accepted a bid of $48,983.44 from Yarbrough Construction Company for the job. The job was accepted as completed on June 29, 1939. The city installed a brass plate on the bridge to acknowledge the contribution of the PWA, but the plaque...

On October 27, 1938, the City of Austin accepted an aid package from the Public Works Administration for the construction of bridges and extensions of storm sewers not to exceed $132,300. One of the projects the city used the money for was to build a bridge on West 34th Street over Shoal Creek. On December 22, 1938, the city accepted a bid of $19,411.63 from Rex D. Kitchens for the job. The city accepted the job as completed on April 20, 1939.

BridgeHunter.com attributes the 3rd Street Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio as having been constructed with the aid of federal Public Works Administration (P.W.A.) funds.

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 West Avenue in Holloway Terrace, northeast of New Castle. 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 of sidewalks, building of masonry culverts and bridges and the re­ pairing of dikes along the banks of the Delaware and Christian Rivers. An average of 1,410...

The West Buxton bridge is a 607 foot Metal Continuous Rivet-Connected Polygonal Warren Through Truss with fixed and Approach Spans: Metal Stringer (Multi-Beam) that carries the West Buxton Road (Moderation Street) over the Saco River. This was one of 26 bridges that were badly damaged or destroyed by a 500 year flood in March 1936. A 1936 report by the state highway commission notes that the reconstruction of these bridges were U.S. Works Program Flood Relief projects and were handled under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Public Roads, U.S. Department of Agriculture. This bridge is one of only three...

The elimination of railroad track grade crossings in Allendale, New Jersey, became a matter of public safety during the 1930s. The Public Works Administration provided funds for two crossings in Allendale, including that at West Crescent Ave. “The new crossings at West Crescent Avenue and West Orchard Street were achieved by making excavation cuts, regrading the roadbeds and building overpasses for the railroad tracks. The work was done under supervision of the Erie Railroad, the , and and public utility commissioners.”

The Work Projects Administration (W.P.A.) constructed at least four small bridges in 1940 along West Harmony Road, southwest of Hartford, Arkansas, to carry the thoroughfare across several unnamed ditches.

The elimination of railroad track grade crossings in Allendale, New Jersey, became a matter of public safety during the 1930s. The Public Works Administration provided funds for two crossings in Allendale, including that at West Orchard St. “The new crossings at West Crescent Avenue and West Orchard Street were achieved by making excavation cuts, regrading the roadbeds and building overpasses for the railroad tracks. The work was done under supervision of the Erie Railroad, the , and and public utility commissioners.”

W.P.A. project description: "West Roxbury Parkway; all the rough work involved in the construction of a road and parking space at the top of Bellevue Hill has been completed. The finished surfacing (bituminous) will be done in the spring of 1938." "Veterans of Foreign Wars, West Roxbury, and Turtle Pond Parkways; the roadsides of these parkways were beautified for their entire lengths by grubbing, grading and seeding. Ten miles, or 176,000 square yards of property was reclaimed."

1939 MDC annual report: "A traffic circle was constructed at West Roxbury Parkway and Centre Street, West Roxbury. The work was performed under P. W. A. Docket No. Mass. 1510-F, Massachusetts State Project No. D-207."

"WPA’s legacy is visible today in those and many other ways" in Wilkes-Barre. "Travel was made easier when the East End Boulevard was straightened out and crucial highway links in the Back Mountain and West Side areas were constructed, all by WPA workers."