Bureau of Public Roads

The Bureau of Public Roads was a United States government agency established in 1893 within the Department of Agriculture. Its initial purpose was to conduct inquiries into road management. The bureau played a crucial role in the development of national highways, particularly after the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916, which established federal aid for highways as a national policy. The bureau was responsible for administering this program, developing apportionment formulas based on state area, population, and post road mileage. It also approved the designation of state highway systems eligible for federal funding, ensuring a more coordinated approach to road construction and improvement across the nation. This agency was instrumental in the transition from local road funding to a national system, driven by the increasing demands of automobiles and the broader "Good Roads movement".12