National Road

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NatlRd-1950PM.jpg
1950 postcard from collection of Chuck Julian.
The National Road was the first highway funded by the US government. Politically there was much debate whether federal or state governments should develop infrastructure. The Whigs believed that the federal government should but they could not get Congress to fund any but the National Road. New York built the Erie Canel because the federal government would not, ultimately making New York City the center of trade.

Construction of the National Road started in 1811 in Cumberland, Maryland and reached Wheeling in 1818. This was a tremendous asset for Wheeling, because it channeled travel and trade to the west through our town. And it led directly to the building of the Wheeling Suspension Bridge in 1848, which further cemented Wheeling's importance as a transportation hub.
National Road is also known more prosaically as Route 40.

National Road website

National Road Mileage Markers----