Highway Chronicle Chapter III:
National
Road is First Cross Country Route
Declaring the
importance of highways to the growth and vibrancy of the nation, President
Jefferson signed legislation in 1806 to build the "National Road" that
would carry settlers and commerce from Cumberland, Maryland to the American
West. Ground was broken in 1811, and the section from Zanesville to Columbus was
completed in 1833 at a cost of $320,000.
The
route through Franklin County followed today’s East Main Street west to High
Street, and north to Broad
Street (U.S. Route 40) where it crossed the Scioto River on a newly constructed
340-foot long Town's Lattice Truss covered bridge. The approximately 20 to 120-foot wide thoroughfare was praised
for its macadam surface developed by Scottish Engineer John MacAdam (1756-1836).
A
macadamized road featured a 12 to 18-inch deep base of large stone, a middle
layer of smaller stone, and a top layer of compacted gravel and dirt that was
gradually sloped for drainage into side ditches.
Toll
gates were located every 10 miles to help finance construction and maintenance
costs. A horseback rider paid six cents; stagecoaches drawn by two horses paid
12 cents; wagons drawn by a single horse or ox paid five cents; and those drawn
by two animals paid 10 cents.
Beyond
Columbus, National Road construction would continue seven more years through
western Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois where it was completed at Vandalia in 1840.
To
learn more about the National Road in Ohio, please visit the Ohio
National Road Association
web site.
Next Chapter:
Original
Franklin County Highways are Built
Highway
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