The 1922 “Pershing Map.”
The PRA estimated that it would cost $202 million to remedy these deficiencies, yet Congress had made no appropriations specifically for public roads outside of Federal reservations as a part of the defense build-up. However, the need for such roads increased rapidly as the Army and Navy began enlarging existing posts and laying out new camps and airfields, many of them in areas served only by county and local roads. The Government placed some defense establishments, such as powder works, in remote areas almost devoid of roads. And mobilization placed abnormal strains on the State highway systems to move men and materials to new or enlarged factories.
The stalemate in the European war ended in April 1940 with the German invasion of Denmark, and by the end of June, the Germans were in firm control of Western Europe. Frantically, the United States began mobilizing for war. Between June and September 1940, Congress appropriated $11.55 billion for military housing, armaments, munitions, shipyards and a two-ocean navy. On September 16, 1940, Congress enacted the first peacetime draft.
With WW II approaching, access roads had to be built for new military posts being established. This fleet of trucks carrying tent platforms was going to Camp Shelby, Miss., where a tent city was built to quarter 50,000 recruits.
The Administration asked the States and counties to step up work on the strategic network and on access roads to defense installations, but with little success. Many of the defense access roads were not on the Federal-aid or State highway systems and were thus ineligible for improvement with Federal or State funds. The counties were impoverished and unable to take on the added burden of providing for vastly increased volumes of defense traffic. The Federal-aid secondary and feeder road funds for fiscal years 1940
