Report on Roads and Canals

The Report on Roads and Canals was a document prepared by Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury, in response to a U.S. Senate resolution in 1807. Submitted in 1808, the report proposed an extensive plan for a network of roads and canals across the United States, purportedly aimed at improving commerce, unifying the country, and enhancing national security. Gallatin's report is one of the earliest comprehensive federal infrastructure plans in American history, outlining projects that would influence later developments in national transportation policy.

Gallatin advocated for a $20 million investment to construct roads and canals that would enhance national commerce, connect seaports to interior regions, and promote westward expansion. Key recommendations included canals through Cape Cod, the Delmarva Peninsula, and the Great Dismal Swamp; a road spanning from Maine to Georgia; and a series of waterways linking the Hudson River to the Great Lakes. Although cost concerns, fierce partisan debate in Congress, and escalating tensions with Britain prevented Congress from fully adopting the plan, funding was secured for the National Road.