How did Karl vom Stein improve roads and rivers in the Rhenish and Westphalian districts?

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Karl, Reichsfreiherr vom und zum Stein Karl, Reichsfreiherr vom und zum Stein, portrait by Friedrich Olivier, 1820.

As the head of the Rhenish and Westphalian administrative districts starting in 1796, Karl vom Stein successfully improved the regional infrastructure by expanding the road network and making the rivers navigable. These efforts were part of his broader, highly effective work in local government, which also included promoting textile production and reforming the system of tax collection.1