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 FEDERAL HIGHWAY LEGISLATION OF THE WAR PERIOD

There was no action responsive to the recommendations of the report of February 1, 1941, for several months. In the meantime, additional routes were designated by the War Department for inclusion in the strategic network. These, with the larger mileage previously designated by the War and Navy Departments, were indicated on a map, revised to May 15, 1941, which, as approved by the Secretary of War, is herewith presented as figure 5.

Surveys of needed reservation and access roads were continued by military authorities and the Public Roads Administration in cooperation with the State highway departments, and existing authority and means were employed to undertake some of the improvements found necessary. The Work Projects Administration undertook the construction of a considerable mileage of reservation roads. Improvements to eliminate deficiencies of the strategic network were undertaken as Federal-aid projects; and funds available for improvement of the Federal-aid system and for Federal-aid secondary roads were allotted to the improvement of access roads, as existing law and the initiative vested in the State highway departments permitted.

On June 2, 1941, the President sent a message to the Congress requesting provision of funds for the construction of defense highway projects. After extended hearings in both Houses, the Congress on July 21, 1941, passed a bill considerably at variance with the President’s recommendations. The President vetoed this bill.

THE DEFENSE HIGHWAY ACT

Finally, on November 19, the President signed a revised bill, prepared after further extended congressional hearings. In little more than 2 weeks the Nation was at war.

The measure approved on November 19 was the Defense Highway Act of 1941. It authorized the $150,000,000 appropriation for access- road construction and 10 of the 12 million dollars for planning strategic network improvements recommended by the Public Roads Administration 10 months earlier. The funds authorized for access roads were made available for payment of the entire construction cost of such roads.

The States were required to match the planning funds in the usual 50–50 ratio. For strategic network improvements the law authorized an appropriation of $25,000,000 to be apportioned in accordance with the Federal Highway Act formula and $25,000,000 to be allocated by the Federal Works Administrator without regard to the formula. The Federal share of the cost of projects undertaken under both of these authorizations was increased to 75 percent.

To meet the need of tactical road repair forecast in the Public Roads Administration report, the act authorized the Commissioner of Public Roads to reimburse States for the necessary rehabilitation and 61