In 1806, the first road to be funded by the United States was the National Turnpike, also known as the Cumberland Road, which connected Cumberland, Maryland with St. Louis, Missouri. This project, backed by President Thomas Jefferson, was a controversial move at the time. Many politicians felt that rivers and canals were adequate for transporting goods and people. Still others questioned the constitutionality of the project, believing that road building was outside the scope of federal duties and should be left to the states.
Indeed, many other early infrastructure projects were undertaken privately or by smaller government entities. The Erie Canal was funded by the State of New York, and early railroad construction was financed by private investors throughout the eastern United States – although they did receive indirect federal support from the Army Corps of Engineers, which conducted route surveys.
Several military surveying parties were also sent “out West” in the first half of the 19th century to consider possible routes that might be used for a rail line that would traverse the continent. But this became a political hot potato by the middle of the century, as sectional strife between northern and southern states increased. It wasn’t until after the southern states had seceded and the Civil War was underway that Congress passed the Railroad Act of 1862 to provide government support for a transcontinental railroad. (It was later brought to light that this monumental project involved both rampant profiteering and bribes of Congressional members.)
Just three years into the 20th century, the Wright brothers’ completion of the first sustained flight – a whopping 12 seconds! – set into motion the rage for “aeroplanes.” Five short years later, the first municipal airport was built outside of Albany, New York. Many privately funded enterprises also popped up. Even automobile tycoon Henry Ford got into the act, building an airport in Dearborn, Michigan that included modern amenities such as a first-class hotel and a mooring mast for dirigibles.
There were airfield building booms associated with both World War I and World War II, as manufacturers needed to get supplies to the troops. But eventually there were so many surplus airports that the military transferred ownership of over 500 of them to local municipalities. This prompted Congress to pass the Federal Airport Act of 1946, which funneled $500 million in grants to improvement and maintenance of airports, and also funded more airport construction.