Table of Contents
Where did the National Road begin?
Cumberland, Maryland
The National Road was the first highway built entirely with federal funds. The road was authorized by Congress in 1806 during the Jefferson Administration. Construction began in Cumberland, Maryland in 1811.
Where did the National Road extend to and from?
In 1976, the American Society of Civil Engineers designated the National Road as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. In 2002, the entire road, including extensions east to Baltimore and west to St. Louis, was designated the Historic National Road, an All-American Road.
How long was the National Road?
621.4 mi
National Road/Length
What highway is the National Road?
Route 40
Built (1811–37) from Cumberland, Maryland (western terminus of a state road from Baltimore and of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal), to Vandalia, Illinois, it forms part of the present U.S. Route 40.
Where does US 40 begin and end?
Starting at its western terminus in Utah, US 40 crosses a total of 12 states, including Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey….
| U.S. Route 40 | |
|---|---|
| East end | US 322 / Ocean Drive in Atlantic City, NJ |
| Location |
Where were the first roads built?
Mesopotamia
The oldest constructed roads discovered to date are in former Mesopotamia, now known as Iraq. These stone paved streets date back to about 4000 B.C. in the Mesopotamia cities of Ur and Babylon.
What was the first national highway?
The Cumberland Road
The Cumberland Road, also known as the National Road or National Turnpike, was the first road in the history of the United States funded by the federal government.
When did the National Road become a highway?
The close of the Civil War and renewed railroad expansion marked the decline of the National Road as a major transportation route until the era of the automobile revived interest in a federal highway system. In 1926 the old National Road was incorporated into U.S. Highway 40.
Where was the first road in the United States built?
The National Road, or Cumberland Road, or National Pike was the first road built by the United States federal government. Construction was authorized in 1806, begun in 1811, at Cumberland, Maryland, and stopped at Vandalia, Illinois in 1838, a distance of about 620 miles (1,000 km).
Where was the western terminus of the National Road?
Subsequent efforts pushed the road across the states of Ohio and Indiana and into the Illinois Territory. The western terminus of the National Road at its greatest extent was at the Kaskaskia River in Vandalia, Illinois, near the intersection of modern U.S. 51 and U.S. 40.
Why was the National Road important to the westward expansion?
The National Road played a major role in the westward expansion of the United States, and its importance was comparable to that of the Erie Canal. Travel on the National Road was reliable, and many thousands of settlers going westward in heavily loaded wagons got their start by following its route.