[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 57 (Monday, May 2, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S2576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE NATIONAL ROAD

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the importance 
of investment in our national infrastructure on the occasion of the 
bicentennial anniversary of the National Road.
  On May 7, 2011, Americans will gather in Cumberland, MD, to celebrate 
the bicentennial of the groundbreaking for the construction of this 
first federally financed road. Congress approved The National Road in 
1806 and construction was completed in 1818, connecting Cumberland, MD, 
with Wheeling, WV, located on the Ohio River. This road would connect 
East to West, allowing for economic growth and opportunity as a young 
nation sought to unite a diverse country and facilitate the flow of 
people, goods, services, information, and Federal authority in new 
territory.
  The National Road's completion created a flow of goods and people to 
and from the Port of Baltimore, along privately developed turnpikes to 
Cumberland, and across the mountains to the Ohio River Valley. The road 
was extended to Vandalia, IL, in the early 1840s. For more than a 
century, The National Road was this Nation's only federally funded 
interstate highway, making its importance to commercial and political 
enterprise unparalleled.
  By the 1850s, the lure of trade and migration to the West led to the 
development of the ``horseless carriage,'' running parallel to the 
road, connecting the Port of Baltimore to the West right through 
Cumberland, MD, over the mountains and westward. While The National 
Road remained important, trains began to transport the bulk of goods 
and people travelling West. In the 1900s, it was the invention of the 
automobile that brought The National Road back to popularity as 
travelers and tourists explored America and the natural beauty of 
western Maryland and truckers transported goods along with the trains.
  I would encourage my colleagues and their constituents to take a 
journey on The National Road. The National Road has been designated a 
Maryland Scenic Byway and is marked by signs and historical markers, 
connecting heritage areas, arts and entertainment districts, and 
historic landscapes and structures. A National Register of Historic 
Places Travel Itinerary can be found at www.crnps.gov/nr.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating this national 
achievement, which reminds us of the importance of supporting 
infrastructure investments that promote trade and commerce, and in 
thanking the people of Cumberland, MD, for celebrating this national 
achievement.

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