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FEDERAL 1\"0:RKS AGENCY
WOP.K PROJECTS Al'lfft-TISTRATI03:~
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For Release
Sunday , Ne,r ch 23 , 1941
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11 RUSH OEDEJ,S II FOR RO_.l_I;S TO 86 ARMY Alill NA VY POSTS , 55 DEFENSE Il\f.SUSTRY
SITES REPORTED :SY WPA
Work on hundreds of miles of access roads , b&dly nEecled to
relieve transportaticn difficulties in the vici11i ty of Army- and Navy
posts throu.€;hou t the country , is b eing pushed with 2..11 :yossible speed
by a force of mor e than 10,000 WP.A workers , ]'red R. Rauch, Acting
Der,uty Co1mnissioner , said toclo.y .
A:p-prov21 a lr e2,cly has bee ,1 given 86 projects cf this type with
an aggregate cost in vTPA funds of rn ore t:'1an $15 , 000 , 000 .
So great is
the need for these ro acls , i•:r . Rauch contLmec1 , th-:i, t eJ~ tra shifts :w.ve
been authorized in a number of instances to permit the work to go on
24 hours a day , seven days a 1:reek.
Meanwhil':l , ~fr . Rauch a lso made :public a, list of 55 i nd.ustrial
:oJ.ants working on defense contracts wr.ere the War Department has asked
WPA to constru_ct ad.di tion's-1 a cc ess roads .
Such work a lread~r h2.s been
authorized in some inst2.nce3 a ncl applications .::ove ring other locations
are now being prepared int.he r especti ve WPA ste te offices .
The War
Department has been assured that such aP;:)l ica ti ons will be g iven first
priority in the routine of apr:: rova l at viPA headque.rters in Wo.shington .
Seven of the plants for which the s e proJec tR have b een req_uested are in Indiana ; five each are located in i-;ichigan o.nd Ohio , a nd
four in Il1inois .
The r emainder are d. i stri1mted al1'.on 6 other states
fro m Hassachusetts to California .
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Arnw offic:i.als have asse rt ed that ad.eq_uate access roads into
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many of the newer military pos t s are among the most urc;ent developments
needed at the moment .
In numbers of cases ca;:;:) s qur., rt cring thous a i.1ds of
men are re3.ched only by narrow dirt or macadam roads never mean t to bear
the tremend.ous burden of traffic which tlwy now have .
The heavy use
of t he J.ast f ew :-:ionths has mad.e these hazardous or d.est roJ"ed the surfacing
with the result t hat traffic lead.inf, to and fro m the camps is greatly
hindered .
Other cases are cited in which posts are loca ted adj~cent toci ti e s , and. streets designed fer ord.inary peace-t i me use are now overburdened with fleets of trucks and other vehicles .
L1 many uarts of
the cotrntr~r also , it is po i nted. out , newl y located camrs and air bases
have blocked out entire sectic--ns of road.s and. highways .
Such r oads
have to be relocated , or new secticns built , to by-pa8s government
property .
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t y-:ne of work performed ,
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Mr . '.tauch ex-plained ,
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r anges
from temporary gravelled. roads ne ce ssary to ex:oodite camp c onstruct-ion
to four-lane concrete highways and. heavy bricl 6 2- s to fill mor e pE.'rmanent
needs .
Exam:;-iles of the heavier tyne of construction a.re tho four-lane
concrete high1rray from .Jacksonville , Florid.a , \-rhich by- passes heavy
traffic zo nes to cross the Ortega ?.iver c>,nd :provide access to both the
Naval Air Station ,:i,nd Crmp BJ.anding, and. the fo12r-lane concrete highway
unde r construction between Fayetteville , North Carolina , and Fort Bragg.
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Also t Y.9 ical is the relocating , wid.ening and repaving of
approximately five miles of ro ad leading to the Ravenna Arsenal in Ohio .
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TMs certified o.efense :9roject started I1larch 5 and. is now employ5.ng 150
men on a schedule calli::1.g lor com1,letion d.uring tl'.e latter half of si"u.ly ,
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b 0.1t to s ~oeeci comp leti on of this irnport c::n t traffic link , 500 :nen 2.re to
l ,e f;in1,lo~red shor tly , wo!'kinr:.:; 4 i-3 hours a v•eek ,end a d.ouble shift .
"Work of this t;r:,e is p;:i.rticularly well arlapted to 'i·{PA bec2.use
of its heavy demand. for uns>:illed anc. se:,r.ni - skilled J.ab8r .
At the same
time , "\v?A is able by rec'..son of its 0rganization to initiate t.b.ese :.projects
with a minirnm of lost time .
As ou. ickly as the need.s of each l ocation
can be determined ancl plans a.no speci:t'ica. tions p:ce1x.necl , wo r !:C is b e ing
started on the most 'J.r [;entl;y rweded roar1.s .
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T:rpica.l of access roads oeir,;s constructed by WPA to facilitate
transport G.tion probl ems fo r defenBe indus try }Jlant s is one n ;J[',r Columbus ,
01:iio , whicn will connect Port Colnr;; ;ms , the Gurtiss-Fric;ht ai rpl ane
factory and the U. S . C-oneral DG~oot .
The new hi0,hwa.y is of the ciual type
c onst ructi -:m with t wo 24- foot hara. surfo.ce traffic lanes separated. oy a
16- foot :)arkway ,
Th8 project will cost $294 , 000 , of which $236 , 000 will
be supplied. b? WPA a.rid is r;cbeduled for comple tion J"uJ.y 1.
Ap2~•roximatoly
400 WPA workers a r e curr ent l y em·pJ.ored .
Ind.u~trial ~olan ts for ,,,hich the 'l!a r I>,1n1.rtment has as1ced °\'IPA
a ssistance in constructi r:.g access ro2d s
~:i,!·e
listco below:
Ala bama Ordnance Works , Childerscm.:c,~ , AJ. a,ba.ma
Coosa Ora.nance Plan t , Chi10.fcrsbur,i: , .Uaoa,,1a.
Gadsden Ordnance Pl :1.n t , Gadsd.en , l.le.oa:-,1n
North American Aviation , Inc ., I n~levoo~ , Ca lifornia
Consolid.P,ted. Aircr~l.ft Company , S::i.n :Dier:;o , Cr~l ifornia
Denver Ordnance Plan t , Denver , C~lorado
Bullard Comp2ny , Bridgeport , Co n:lect icut
Studebaker Corpor ~ tion , Chicago , Illi no i s
l"les tern Co. rt ridge Com1~anJr , East Al ton , I J.l i,. . o is
Buick i:ot or Comptmy Aircra ft Engine Plant,
Melrose Pa rk , Illinois
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Ifank,1.kee Ordn::rnce Works , :Hlmingtrm , Illinois
Elwo'.1d Ordnance Plant , Wilmingto!l. , Illinois
Delco-Remy (LiYis:i on of General !'.otors ) ,
Ander f on , Indi~na
Indi ana Crd.nance 'jfo:rl~s , Char lestown , I nd i ana
Hoosier Ordnance Plant , Charlesto\·rn , 1 ndiana
Studebalr.er Corporation , Ft . ;fayne , Indiana
J efferson 2?rovi n 6 Gj_~ouncl , i·~adison , InJ..iana
S-'cutleba:;;:cr Corporation , South Berid , Incliana
Kin 0 sbury Or:irnmce Plant , Union Center, Indiana
Iow.:1 Or,hiance Plant , Burlingt on , Iowa
Ohio Rivf-r Or<'lnance Uorks , Henderson , Kentucky
Glenn Mftrt i n Airplane Company , 3al timore , Maryland
Fai r child Ai r craft Plant , Hag;;rstown , Mar~rland
General Electri c Co ., :Curbo- Electric Su.percb,.rger
:?la.n t , :Everett , r-Tas sec chuset ts
:Bohn Aluminum & :Brass Cor:1) ., Ad.r io.n , Michigan
Detroi t Crclnance Pla.nt , Cent0r L ine , Michigan
Bohn Aluminum & Brass Cor1, . , Detroit , Michigan
Vicke r s , Inc ., Detroit , Uichigan
N. A. Wooc!.wo r th Company , Fernc1.ale , Michi gan
L&.ke City Or clna.:ice Plant , Iucle:periclence , Missouri
VicDonnell Aircraft Cor:Joration , Robertson , Missouri
St . Louis Ord:r.ance Plant , St . Louis , Missouri
lleldon S:pr:i.ngs O:c.mmc0 Works , h'eldon S::prings , Mo .
Bomber Asscmlil;y ?lai1t , '.Ft . Crook , }Tebre.ske,
Otis Elevn.tor Compan:', F..arrison , Nev; j" e r sey
Wright Aeronautical CorporE.ti·:m , Paterso:r. , New ..iersey
Link Aviation Devices , Inc ., Ein[;hiunton , New York
Standard Gage Company , Poughl:ee:::isie , New York
Sa vage Arms Company , Ut ica , }~ew York
Ohio Crankshaft , I nc ., Clevel2.nC::. , Ohio
Thompson Aircraft Prod.nets Co ., :'.!:uclid , Ohio
'\'fright Aeronautical Corpora tio:1 , Lockland , Ohio
Ravenna Ordnance Plant , Rn,venna , Ohio
Plum Brook Ordnance ;'i orks , Sand.us~<Jr , Ohio
:Bor:iber Assembly Plant , 'Iulsa , Oklahomc:.,
Lycoming Mo tors , WilJ.iamsport , Pennsylvania
Wolf Creek Ordnanc e Plant , Milan , Tennessee
Baytown Ordnanc e Works , :Baytown , Texas
lTorth American Aviation , I nc ., Dallas , Texas
3ornber Assembly Plant , Fort i,forth , Texas
Ilryant Chucking C-rinder Coml'.lany , Springfield. , Verrnon t
Jones & Lamson Machine Company , S~rin&field , Vermont
new River Or dnance Plant , I:ublin , Vir 6 inia
P.adford. Ordnance Work:-.; , Radforll , Vfr1:;inia
I1or 6 e.ntown Ordnb..nce 1'lorks , ;,iorgan t own , Wes t Virginia
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