Top 5 Public Works Projects of the Great Depression's New Deal

FDR and the New Deal

By the time President Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office in 1933, the Great Depression had already ravaged the country. Unemployment approached 25% for the nation and was even higher in the industrial cities; a once-proud country was rapidly losing hope. In his inaugural address, Roosevelt promised Americans a New Deal—and he then immediately set out to deliver on that promise.

FDR's 1933 Inaugural Address

PWA, WPA, and CCC

From 1933 to 1936, the New Deal established a series of government agencies whose purpose was to put the United States back to work and re-establish lost hope. Agencies like the Public Works Administration (PWA), the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) created jobs and, in the process, built many structures and landmarks still visible today.

What follows is a list of the top five public works projects that were completed during that important time in U.S. history. They are ranked according to their economic impact and their everlasting legacy to the United States.

5. Lincoln Tunnel

As ambitious a construction project as you could ever hope to see, the Lincoln Tunnel stretches 1.5 miles underneath the Hudson River in New York, connecting New Jersey and Manhattan. The PWA funded this marvel of engineering from 1934 to 1936 at a cost of $85 million, and it was the first major tunnel project completed without a fatality. Today, nearly 120,000 vehicles use this tunnel every day, making it one of the busiest tunnels in the world.

4. Overseas Highway

Connecting Miami to Key West, the 113-mile Overseas Highway was opened for traffic in 1938. It follows an old railroad track that was originally built in 1912. When traveling this highway, one passes over 42 bridges and enjoys scenery that is beyond belief.

3. Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Welcome to the most-visited national park in the United States, boasting over 14 million visitors in 2021. Great Smoky Mountain National Park covers 814 square miles of wilderness, 36% of which is an old-growth forest.

Constructed by the WPA and the CCC between 1934 and 1940, this jewel of the national park system was named an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. The park offers unparalleled vistas and is a must-see on any trip to the American southeast.

2. Hoover Dam

Congress approved the building of Hoover Dam in 1928, and it was finally constructed between 1931 and 1936 with the help of the PWA.

Spanning the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, this marvel provides electricity for Arizona, Nevada, and Southern California. The dam is 726 feet tall and 600 feet at its base and originally cost $165 million.

The dam was named after President Herbert Hoover, but after he left office in 1933, the dam started to be called the Boulder Canyon Dam (sometimes simply called Boulder Dam). The story was that this was the doing of the Secretary of the Interior, who apparently disliked Hoover! However, the official name of the dam was never changed, and in the end, the original name stuck.

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1. Grand Coulee Dam

If ever there was a pet project of President Roosevelt, it was the Grand Coulee Dam. Early on, he became enamored with the idea of harnessing the power of the Columbia River and turning arid land in eastern Washington into farmland. Funding from the PWA to the tune of $63 million helped Roosevelt’s dreams become reality.

Built between 1933 and 1942, the Grand Coulee is the largest dam in the United States and one of the largest in the world. It provides irrigation for over 600,000 acres of farmland and electricity for all or parts of eight states plus parts of Canada. This mammoth structure stands 550 feet high and is 1.2 miles wide.

Honorable Mentions

Assembling any top-five list is difficult and ultimately subjective. I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the following:

• Timberline Lodge: A National Historic Landmark, this timber and stone structure on Mt. Hood in Oregon is visited by over a million visitors each year.
• LaGuardia Airport: This New York City airport is used by 23 million passengers each year. It was built on Long Island for a cost of $2.3 million.
• Fort Peck Dam: Built between 1933 and 1940, this dam provides hydroelectric power, flood control, and water quality management along the upper Missouri River. It was a combined effort of the WPA and the CCC, and it cost $100 million.
• Triborough Bridge: Now called the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge, this is actually three bridges, a viaduct, and 14 miles of connecting roads, all of which connect Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx in New York. It was completed in 1936 at a cost of $60 million, and today is visited by 200,000 vehicles per day.
• Blue Ridge Parkway: Stretching from Virginia to North Carolina for 469 miles, this roadway was funded in part by the WPA and is designated as an All-American Road.

Was the New Deal a Success?

The success of President Roosevelt’s New Deal programs has been debated for years. Some say that the government overstepped its bounds and that the United States was dangerously close to becoming a totalitarian government during this era. Others argue that unemployment was not erased during the New Deal years and only World War II was responsible for the end of the Great Depression.

What cannot be debated, however, is that the New Deal programs gave hope to millions of citizens who had given up hope. The infrastructure of the United States was rebuilt and modernized, and many of the projects were springboards for a future where the U.S. would dominate world affairs.

By the Numbers: CCC, PWA, and WPA

The sheer number of accomplishments is staggering.

• CCC projects included 3,470 fire towers erected, 97,000 miles of roads built, 3 billion trees planted, 711 state parks created, and over 3 million men employed.
• PWA funded the construction of over 34,000 projects, including airports, dams, schools, and hospitals.
• WPA is credited with having constructed 651,087 miles of roadways, repaired 125,110 public buildings, and constructed 853 landing fields.

Employing the Nation

From 1933 and the birth of the New Deal to 1939, unemployment dropped from approximately 15 million to 9 million. Most of those workers were employed by New Deal programs.

Go to practically any major city in the United States, and you will see projects built during the New Deal. By the same token, go to any national or state park, and you will most likely see work completed during this era.

The Gift of Hope and Purpose

More importantly, talk to survivors of the Great Depression. My father and mother talked to me about the importance of the New Deal, not only in economic terms but also about the intangibles like regained pride and hope. Men and women who had all but given up hope in 1933 slowly but surely discovered a way to rebuild their lives.

More About the Great Depression

• Did New Deal Programs Help End the Great Depression? - HISTORY
  While the New Deal did have a lasting impact on the U.S. economy, other significant factors contributed toward ending the Great Depression by June 1938.
• 10 Facts About the Great Depression
  The Great Depression was a severe economic downturn that occurred in the 1930s. It was triggered by a stock market crash in the United States but went on to affect the whole world.

Questions & Answers

Question: Whats your favorite movie?

Answer: I have no clue... probably To Kill A Mockingbird

Comments

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on April 29, 2020:

I hope we never forget, Isabella!

Isabella Jaramillo on April 28, 2020:

Oh My Gosh you remember

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on September 03, 2018:

Thanks Sherly! I didn't forget it; I just didn't include it in the Top Five. Purely subjective opinion.

Sherly H on September 03, 2018:

I think you're forgetting a really big one ! The St. Louis Gateway Arch !!

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on November 13, 2017:

It's possible!

Scrappy doo on November 12, 2017:

Scrappy doo learnatorium?

Bill Holland (author) from Olympia, WA on April 27, 2017: