Postwar Public Works

Archive Report

Public Works Construction After the War

Lack of Centralized Planning for Public Works

Public works are assigned a place of greater or less importance in all plans for dealing with postwar unemployment. Estimates of the cost of needed public projects—projects that could be used to “take up the slack” in employment when the nation reconverts to a peacetime economy—run as high as $50 billion. The projects range from street improvements in towns and villages to huge power-navigation-irrigation developments to be undertaken by the federal government. Plans for postwar public works stand at various stages of completion. Some projects are “ready to go” as soon as men and materials become available, others have not advanced beyond the “idea” stage.

Principal Postwar Public Works Plans

(in millions of dollars)

Completed state ...
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