Bureau of Public Roads

The Bureau of Public Roads (BPR) was an American federal agency created in 1918, with several predecessor agencies dating back to 1893. It built roads in national parks and forests, assisted states with road construction, helped beautify highways, and conducted various transportation studies (e.g. safety and collision research, subsurface examinations, erosion testing, and maintenance-cost studies). The agency was lodged within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1967 the functions of the Bureau of Public Roads were transferred to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).