In 1794, The Lancaster Turnpike Corporation was formed hoping to build a private road that would connect Lancaster Pennsylvania to Philadelphia. Farmers in Lancaster were frustrated by the current road system which was filled with ruts and tree stumps that slowed down the traveling. Merchants in Philadelphia complained of the high prices of corn and grain that were partially caused by the travel conditions of the time. When the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike opened in 1795, it was 66 miles long and provided an economic stimulus to the farmers and merchants of Pennsylvania. The private road charged travelers a toll, allowing the company to use the funds to maintain the road and make a profit. The success of the Turnpike would inspire the Federal Government to create a new road system.
In 1809, President Thomas Jefferson authorized the creation of the Cumberland Road which would run from Baltimore Maryland to Wheeling Virginia, (present day West Virginia). Jefferson believed that a federally funded road would lead to an improvement in trade and help encourage economic growth in the United States. Thomas Jefferson knew that the current road system of the country was unreliable, with many of the nation's roads prone to flooding during the spring.
Road construction in America was based on the Macadamization process that originated in Great Britain. Scottish engineer John Lauden Macadam developed a more efficient method of road construction while working for the British Government. Macadam's system required that native soil on top of a layer of crushed rock would create an adequate road. Macadam's roads drained better then other roads and were more level, allowing faster and better travel. His system was widely used in Europe and later adapted in the United States, cutting down travel time and increasing trade.
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