Franklin Roosevelt became President at one of the most perilous times in the history of the United States. The economy was in ruins and twenty-five percent of working Americans couldn't find jobs. As quickly as possible he established the Works Progress Administration and Public Works Administration, along with others to build needed infrastructure and put living wages back in the hands of workers.
There are economists and historians who still argue that these programs didn't change the unemployment numbers significantly. They say that it took entry into World War II to put a definitive end to the Great Depression. Whatever the truth, these programs completely changed the mood of the country for the better. Even almost a hundred years after they began, Roosevelt's initiatives are still being felt.
One important project built by the WPA is what we call the Hoover Dam today. It was originally known as Boulder Dam, but was renamed in honor of our thirty-first President, Herbert Hoover. The dam took five years and a little over a million and half dollars to build. At the height of the building it employed twenty thousand workers. Today the dam is still considered one of the architectural wonders of the world and is one of America's most famous attractions.
One of Roosevelt's favorite projects was the Grand Coulee Dam. The idea that you could control the powerful Columbia River to the extent that it flooded the driest sections of Washington State, making agriculture viable and putting farmers back to work, delighted him. It took nine years and sixty-five million dollars to accomplish it, but Mr. Roosevelt got his wish. This huge project still stands as one of the biggest concrete structures in the world.
National parks were part of Roosevelt's grand design. At the center was the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The WPA workers created a masterpiece that includes nearly nine hundred acres of wilderness. Every year more than ten million visitors tour the North Carolina and Tennessee lands. Its cultural significance has been recognized by UNESCO.
Tunnels built under bodies of water are more common today than they were in the nineteen thirties. The Lincoln Tunnel was begun in 1934 and was not completely finished until twenty years later. The one and a half mile structure connecting New Jersey to Manhattan opened to traffic in 1937. Forty-two million vehicles still drive through it every year.
Construction on the Triborough Bridge began on one of the darkest days in American history, Black Friday 1929. The WPA completed it in 1936. There are three long span bridges, a number of shorter ones, approach roads and a viaduct connecting Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. Today it is the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge and two hundred thousand travelers cross over it every single day.
The government climate has changed dramatically, and not for the better. Self-interest, gridlock, and special interest groups seem to have taken over. One wonders how Roosevelt would have handled the current climate when the country's future was at stake.
There are economists and historians who still argue that these programs didn't change the unemployment numbers significantly. They say that it took entry into World War II to put a definitive end to the Great Depression. Whatever the truth, these programs completely changed the mood of the country for the better. Even almost a hundred years after they began, Roosevelt's initiatives are still being felt.
One important project built by the WPA is what we call the Hoover Dam today. It was originally known as Boulder Dam, but was renamed in honor of our thirty-first President, Herbert Hoover. The dam took five years and a little over a million and half dollars to build. At the height of the building it employed twenty thousand workers. Today the dam is still considered one of the architectural wonders of the world and is one of America's most famous attractions.
One of Roosevelt's favorite projects was the Grand Coulee Dam. The idea that you could control the powerful Columbia River to the extent that it flooded the driest sections of Washington State, making agriculture viable and putting farmers back to work, delighted him. It took nine years and sixty-five million dollars to accomplish it, but Mr. Roosevelt got his wish. This huge project still stands as one of the biggest concrete structures in the world.
National parks were part of Roosevelt's grand design. At the center was the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The WPA workers created a masterpiece that includes nearly nine hundred acres of wilderness. Every year more than ten million visitors tour the North Carolina and Tennessee lands. Its cultural significance has been recognized by UNESCO.
Tunnels built under bodies of water are more common today than they were in the nineteen thirties. The Lincoln Tunnel was begun in 1934 and was not completely finished until twenty years later. The one and a half mile structure connecting New Jersey to Manhattan opened to traffic in 1937. Forty-two million vehicles still drive through it every year.
Construction on the Triborough Bridge began on one of the darkest days in American history, Black Friday 1929. The WPA completed it in 1936. There are three long span bridges, a number of shorter ones, approach roads and a viaduct connecting Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. Today it is the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge and two hundred thousand travelers cross over it every single day.
The government climate has changed dramatically, and not for the better. Self-interest, gridlock, and special interest groups seem to have taken over. One wonders how Roosevelt would have handled the current climate when the country's future was at stake.
About the Author:
If you are searching for the facts about public works, come to our web pages online today. More details are available at http://www.thelaborcompliancemanagers.com now.
No comments:
Post a Comment