Transportation Dept Constr Div history

In 1915, the name of the Office of Public Roads was again changed to the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering.

In 1917 the Division of Park and Forest Roads was eliminated and forest work was transferred to the Office of Road Construction and Maintenance.

By the mid 1920's it became evident that road building by the States and by Federal agencies on public lands needed to be closely correlated.

When the eastern district office was established, direct Federal highway construction work in the western States and in Alaska remained as organized in 1921, under the Western Regional Office with Doctor L. I. Hewes, Deputy Chief Engineer in charge.

In 1924 Congress enacted special legislation authorizing $7.5 million for road construction in the National Parks.

Construction began on the Transmountain Highway in 1925, renamed Going-to-the-Sun Road after completion. Based on that collaboration, a Memorandum of Agreement between the BPR and the NPS was executed in 1926.

In January 1934, BPR Commissioner Thomas H. MacDonald established a new field district office in Washington, DC to handle the location, design, and construction of park, forest, and such other highway work as may be entrusted to the Bureau.

In 1949 the Federal Works Administration was abolished and the Public Roads Administration was transferred temporarily to the newly-created General Services Administration.

Upon statehood, the Alaska Department of Highways was organized in 1960 and assumed responsibility for the State's highway program.

In order to establish a direct line of authority and communication, in July 1980 the Office of Direct Federal Programs was established in Headquarters that reported to the Director of Highway Operations.

Since 1983 FLH has assisted the Defense Access Road Program to deliver projects such as the construction of the cross island Saddle Road in Hawaii or the construction of Florida SR 85 Interchange reconstruction into Eglin Air Force Base.

After a further study, in 1989 the Office of Direct Federal Programs was again reorganized and renamed the Office of Federal Lands Highway (FLH), now reporting directly to the Executive Director.