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Millions of Americans Still Benefit From These Depression-Era Public Works Projects

David Beren

Published: November 11, 2024 12:30 pm

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• • Many New Deal construction projects are thriving today. 
  • Dams and bridges are among the many projects from which we still benefit. 
  • Construction projects gave thousands of workers steady employment. 
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One of the darkest times in American and world history, the Great Depression, lasted between 1929 and 1939. The global economic downtown began in September 1929 on what has become known as “Black Tuesday,” when the US stock market crashed. 

As a result, worldwide GDP dropped by an estimated 15%, unemployment in the US hit as high as 23% and international trade dropped by more than half. In an effort to jump-start the American economy, President Franklin Roosevelt introduced the New Deal. 

These domestic programs, primarily managed by the Public Works Administration and the Works Progress Administration, would improve the lives of millions. Perhaps most notable is that these programs introduced the idea that the federal government would now play a key role in the country’s economy. 

20. Griffith Observatory

Built as a Works Progress Administration project, construction began on Griffith Observatory in June 1933. Thousands of workers helped build this location, now considered the most viewed telescope in the world and a major tourist attraction in the Los Angeles area. 

19. Mount Rushmore

Controversially built on “stolen” land, Mount Rushmore is a major tourist attraction in the US, with 2.5 million visitors annually. While construction happened before the New Deal, financing to complete the project was handled through New Deal programs, which now act as South Dakota’s biggest tourist destination. 

18. Dealey Plaza

Known as the birthplace of Dallas, Dealey Plaza is a city park in downtown Dallas that is most famous for being the location of President Kennedy’s assassination. The area was built with multiple buildings as part of a WPA project and completed in 1940, where it remains a major tourist attraction. 

17. Red Rocks Amphitheatre 

The city of Denver owns and operates Red Rocks Amphitheatre, a 9,525-seat venue for concerts and music festivals. Built with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps, thousands of young unemployed men helped create this National Historic Land. 

16. Timberline Lodge

Constructed with funds from the PWA, the Timberline Lodge was built by local artisans during the Great Depression. Located at approximately 6,000 feet above sea level, the area is publicly owned and privately operated and sees around one million visitors every year as a popular tourist attraction. 

15. Fort Peck Dam

One of six dams located along the Missouri River, Fort Peck Dam is the largest hydraulically filled dam in the country. It generates enough electricity to power 100,000 people. A major project of the PWA, it employed over 10,546 workers in its construction.

14. Great Smoky Mountain National Park

The most visited national park in the US, with 14 million annual visitors, Great Smoky Mountain National Park served as the first national park to have both land and costs paid for with federal funds. Today, it’s one of the largest protected areas in the US. 

13. Overseas Bridge

Employing hundreds of angry World War I veterans seeking work, Florida asked for and received federal funding to connect all of the Florida Keys to the mainland. While hurricanes marred construction, the bridge was built and helps more than 5 million people visit the area annually. 

12. San Antonio River Walk

The city of San Antonio secured funding from the Public Works Administration to help improve the local area around the San Antonio River. By building bridges and pathways and adding more land for commerce, the RiverWalk allowed more businesses to operate, and it is now a major tourist destination for the city. 

11. Chickamauga Dam

In 1933, the Tennessee Valley Authority created the Chickamauga Dam through New Deal legislation. By controlling water levels, the area was rid of mosquito-borne illnesses like malaria and yellow fever, significantly improving the living conditions for impoverished people while still controlling floods.  

10. New Orleans City Park

Using public funding, New Orleans improved its City park in the 1930s by adding more sidewalks, bridges, and an art museum. Through this project, tens of thousands of workers were able to find work to help build the 1,300-acre park, now the 20th most visited public park in the United States. Many are surprised to learn that the park is 50% larger than Central Park in New York City. 

9. Bay Bridge

The Bay Bridge was constructed between 1933 and 1936, connecting San Francisco and Oakland. Carrying over 200,000 cars daily, the bridge created jobs for 8,300 workers and was a magnet for work when unemployment was around 20 percent. 

8. LaGuardia Airport

The 19th busiest airport in the US, serving more than 30 million passengers every year, LaGuardia Airport was expanded during the Depression to help fuel an increase in air travel. The airport is even home to the mural “Flight,” which, at 237 feet in length, is the largest mural created as part of the WPA. 

7. Grand Coulee Dam

Built between 1933 and 1942, the Grand Coulee Dam is the largest power station in the United States. It helped power much of the Northwest US during World War II after being built by 11,000 men who worked 27 million hours. The dam generates enough power for more than 2 million houses every year. 

6. Arroyo Seco Parkway

The oldest freeway in California and among the oldest in the United States, the Arroyo Seco Parkway was built with the help of New Deal funds. Connecting Los Angeles and Pasadena, the freeway has been open since 1940 with the help of thousands of jobs, and today, it sees hundreds of thousands of annual drivers. 

5. Triborough Bridge

Another Depression-era project funded by the Public Works Administration was the Triborough Bridge, or the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge as it’s now known. The bridge’s construction provided thousands of jobs as an economic stimulus and connected Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx. 

4. Lincoln Tunnel

The Lincoln Tunnel, started by the Public Works Administration, is a 1.5-mile roadway connecting Weehawken, New Jersey, to Manhattan. Construction began in 1934, adding between 500 and 1,000 jobs daily and costing around $1.5 billion. Over 19 million vehicles passed through the tunnel in 2023, making it one of the world’s busiest crossings. 

3. Blue Ridge Parkway

The longest linear park in the US, Blue Ridge Parkway, extends over 469 miles and 29 counties across Virginia and North Carolina. Work began in September 1935 after Congress authorized the project, which created thousands of jobs. Today, it’s the most visited location in the National Park System. 

2. Hoover Dam

One of the most famous sites in the American West, the Hoover Dam, generates power for more than 1.3 million people annually. Constructed between 1931 and 1936, it utilized thousands of workers, enabling many to feed their families reliably for the first time in years. 

1. Tennessee Valley Authority

Introduced in 1933, the Tennessee Valley Authority was to provide electricity generation, flood control, and economic development to the hard-hit Tennessee Valley. Today, the company generates electricity for approximately 10 million people through 153 power utilities.