A Program to Enrich the Quality of Life
In addition to the work performed for the Forest Service, the National Park Service, the War Department, and the Bureau of Land Management, the Federal Highway Administration has standing agreements with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in the Department of the Interior, and with several other agencies to construct roads on lands under their jurisdictions upon request.
An interesting project developed when, in 1956, Congress directed that the Bureau of Public Roads should build the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. This 5,900-foot bridge across the Potomac Eiver is a vital link in the Capital Beltway around Washington, D.C. Region 15 supervised the construction of the bridge because the bridge involved three governmental jurisdictions — Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland. The Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge was opened to traffic in 1961.
The Federal Highway Administration has, for a continuous span of 70 years, contributed its highway engineering expertise to the planning, location, design, and construction of roads in the Federal domain for other government agencies. The many beautiful highways and parkways constructed under this program are a legacy for future generations to enjoy as they continue to serve the transportation system in the national forests and parks and other Federal domain areas.
In 1973, citizens visited the national forests and national park system areas in record numbers—188 million visitor-days in national forests and 215 million visits to national park system areas. These figures speak for themselves in rating the contribution the direct Federal highway program has made to enriching the quality of life for our Nation.
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