Road Building in Georgia:
Twentieth Century

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In the twentieth century, state and federal agencies took over more of the responsibility for road and highway planning, management, and construction. In the early 1900s the government created the US Highway system, marking the first time that a national standard was set for roads and highways. Later in the century, the government established the Interstate System.

Until the twentieth century most roads were not very well built or efficient, and did not connect distant places. Most road traffic was local. When people took long journeys over land they usually traveled by railroad. When automobiles went into mass production, however, cars became more affordable and by the late 1910s they were within reach of most people. As car ownership became more common, people began calling for better quality roads and more formal route designs. There was also a need for better roads to aid transportation, commerce, and communication, as well as for supporting national defense or civil emergencies.

The twentieth century saw important changes to the way roads and highways were designed and built. Modern road construction follows a planning and design process that ensures both safe and effective roads and that takes into account terrain, safety, lines of sight, and other qualities. Modern road planning is also concerned with the needs of communities and the state.

Present-day road design in Georgia has a more sophisticated preconstruction process. GDOT monitors conditions and makes decisions about the need for new roads and improvements to existing ones. In making determinations, GDOT receives input from counties and municipalities about their needs, and provides preliminary plans at public meetings to allow communities an opportunity to comment.

The preplanning process also takes into account the possible environmental consequences of new projects so that endangered species and their habitats can be avoided. The process does the same for archaeological and historic resources, such as districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects so that sites with historical importance can be avoided or studied. Ideally, environmental and historic sites are accommodated in the design stages of projects to limit impacts. (For additional information about the modern design and construction process, link to the main GDOT web site.

In accounting for archaeological and historic resources, GDOT first looks for sites in the area where construction will take place. If any are found, then a decision is made about whether the site is worthy of preservation. If yes, then efforts are made to avoid the site by designing the project so that the site will not be disturbed by future projects. For archaeological sites, excavating and studying the site rescues and preserves the research information the site contains so it is not completely lost.

Administration of Twentieth Century Roads

For the most part, county governments were responsible for road building in Georgia until the twentieth century. During the twentieth century, however, planning began to become more systematic and the state government took a larger role in the process. The Georgia State Highway Commission was established in 1918. The commission’s roles included making surveys and plans for road projects throughout the state. The Federal government also became more active in highway projects during the twentieth century, mostly to coordinate construction and management of cross-country roadways.

In the 1950s, the Federal government started the Interstate System. Georgia interstate highways are owned and maintained by the state but are funded with Federal money. The more than 1,200 miles of interstate highway in Georgia link major cities within the state and connect the state to the rest of the nation. More locally, they provide routes into cities for suburban commuters. Also, because they connect to urban areas and large population centers, the interstates can be used as evacuation routes during emergencies, such as hurricanes. On a daily basis, though, the Interstate System makes automobile and truck traffic easier and promotes economic development.

Twentieth Century Road Labor

During the later 1800s, Georgia had adopted the convict lease system, which employed crews of mixed convicts and day laborers. The state abolished the system in 1908 and to replace it, counties were authorized to create permanent roadwork crews made up solely of convicts. The money saved by discontinuing the use of day laborers was put toward building new roads and improving existing ones.

Georgia was the first state to use the chain gang system, which put misdemeanor convicts into roadwork programs. This widespread practice continued until the 1950s when it was abolished in all states. Today, full-time workers perform a variety of skilled and semi-skilled tasks and complete general construction and maintenance tasks.

The major developments in road building materials during the twentieth century were the introduction of concrete and asphalt. Although dirt, gravel, and other materials continued in use, by 1910 asphalt was used almost universally for surfacing new roads.