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First Canals Built on the St. Lawrence River
The Canadian Royal Army Engineers start work on four small canals on the north shore of the St. Lawrence at Montreal to connect Lake St. Louis to Lake St. Francis. -
First U.S. Toll Road
The Lancaster Turnpike opens connecting Lancaster and Philadelphia, PA, providing travelers an easier route to the Northwest territory. -
First Steamboat
Robert Fulton demonstrates the practicality of steamboats, which makes it easier to transport people and products. Steamboats soon became important in the western trade. -
Civil War Railroads
The Civil War becomes the first major conflict in which railroads play a major role, Both sides in the conflict use trains to move troops and supplies. -
First Successful Oil Pipeline
Samuel Van Syckel opens the nation's first successful commercial pipeline in northwestern PA. The five-mile long iron pipeline connects the town of Pithole to the Oil Creek railroad. A pipeline boom follows. -
Pneumatic Subway
Alfred Beach opens a pneumatic subway under Broadway in New York City. -
Electric Streetcars
Frank Julian Sprague puts the first electric streetcar into operation in Richmond, VA. Streetcars are eventually used in 850 American towns and cities. -
Mail Delivery
The first experimental routes for rural free delivery of mail are established in West Virginia. -
Steel Road
Engineers built a demonstration section of a steel road at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha, NE -
Ford Model T
Henry Ford begins selling his Model T. The automobile is the first to be built using an assembly line. -
Division of Highway Bridges and Culverts
The Department of Agriculture establishes the Division of Highway Bridges and Culverts (later changed to the Bridge Division). -
Washington National Airport
On June 16, CAA officially opens Washington National Airport for full-time operations. -
Trucking Deregulation
President Jimmy Carter signs into law the Motor Carrier Regulatory Reform and Modernization Act, which allows trucking companies greater freedom over rates and other business decisions, while allowing for open entry of new trucking firms. -
High Speed Rail Initiative
President Bill Clinton signs the Swift Rail Development Act of 1994, providing for national high-speed rail initiatives. -
First Federally-Licensed Suborbital Rocket Flight
On April 1,FAA issues the world's first license for a sub-orbital manned rocket flight. -
Next Generation Air Transportation System
On January 27, in a luncheon speech to the Aero Club of Washington, Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta announces plans for a new, next generation air transportation system with expanded capacity to relieve congestion, prevent gridlock, and secure America's place as global leader in aviation's second century. -
Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act
President Barack Obama signed the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21). The authorization bill governs federal surface transportation spending. The act reduces and consolidates bicycle and pedestrian transportation into a program called Transportation Alternatives, mandates development of a national freight policy, reforms tolling on federal highways, and gives electronic toll collection facilities until October 1, 2016.
