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Chesapeake Bay Bridge: The Story of Maryland's Most Iconic Structure

Part of the Chesapeake Unwritten series by author Bill Johns, this book traces the bridge's evolution from long-abandoned 19th-century proposals through its fraught 20th-century construction, up to the present-day debates about its future. It captures not only the massive effort of building a bridge across one of the widest estuaries in North America, but also the human toll, ambition, resistance, and imagination that made such a project possible.

by Bill Johns (2025)

Chesapeake Bay Bridge (Images of America)

Part of the Images of America series, this book tells the story of the bridge that transformed Maryland's Eastern Shore from a sleepy backwater to a major tourism destination and caused an economic boom in Baltimore in the west.

by John R. Paulson and Erin E. Paulson (2019)

Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (Images of America)

Follow the gulls! Part of the Images of America series, this book tells the story of how the 17.6-mile-long series of bridges, tunnels, islands, and trestle in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay -- long dismissed as impractical and even impossible -- won the attention of the world at its opening.

by John R. Paulson and Erin E. Paulson (2019)

Building the Blue Ridge Parkway (Images of America)

Construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway began in 1935 as a New Deal project, but was not completed until 1987. This book, which is part of the Images of America series, contains approximately 200 construction photographs of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

by Karen J. Hall and Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway (2007)

The Colonial Parkway (Images of America)

The Colonial Parkway connects a historic triangle of cities: Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Construction began in the early 1930s, and the final phase was finished in 1957 for the 350th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown.

by Frances Watson Clark (2010)

Divided Highways

Based on the 1997 Peabody Award-winning PBS documentary, this book describes the development --- and downsides -- of the Interstate highway network. Despite some anti-highway sentiments, this book is one of the more comprehensive road history works.

by Tom Lewis (2013)

The Roads That Built America

Best-selling author Dan McNichol, who chronicled Boston's "Big Dig" project during its construction in the 1990s and early 2000s, tells the fascinating story of the largest engineering project the world has ever known.

by Dan McNichol (2006)

The Big Roads

The Interstate highway system dramatically changed the face of our nation. These interconnected roads--now nearly 50,000 miles and still growing--are man-made wonders, economic pipelines, agents of sprawl, uniquely American symbols of escape and freedom, and an unrivaled public works accomplishment.

by Earl Swift (2018)

Asphalt and Politics: A History of the American Highway System

This examination of the Interstate highway system in the United States, and the forces that shaped it, includes the introduction of the automobile, the Good Roads Movement, and the Lincoln Highway Association. The book offers an analysis of state and federal road funding, modern road-building options, and the successes and failures of the current highway system.

by Thomas L. Karnes (2009)

The Road Taken

Acclaimed engineer and historian Henry Petroski explores our core infrastructure from both historical and contemporary perspectives, explaining how essential their maintenance is to America's economic health. Petroski reveals the genesis of the many parts of America's highway system--our interstate numbering system, the centerline that divides roads, and such taken-for-granted objects as guardrails, stop signs, and traffic lights--all crucial to our national and local infrastructure.

by Henry Petroski (2017)

The Freeway in the City

By the late 1960s, opponents managed to delay and even stop freeway construction in major cities, including Washington and Baltimore. The Freeway in the City was written to demonstrate how thoughtful freeway design can be implemented in a variety of urban settings.

by The Urban Advisors to the Federal Highway Administrator (1968)

Saving Historic Roads: Design and Policy Guidelines

Written by a National Trust landscape architect and planner, this book provides not only the criteria for determining historic significance, but also guidelines to adapt to current AASHTO standards while maintaining design integrity.

by Paul Daniel Marriott (1997)

American Autobahn

Mark Rask, a lifelong automotive and racing enthusiast, analyzes the combination of safety and speed on Germany's Autobahn network and offers an exciting new direction for America's Interstates that would make speeds of 100 MPH or more commonplace on open stretches of rural freeway.

by Mark Rask (1999)

The Big Dig

This colorful photographic history documents what was at the time the nation's largest single public works project. Nearly a decade and a half later, and after more than $15 billion was spent, Boston had a new network of highways tunneling underneath the city. Could this be the future of highway construction in North America?

by Dan McNichol (2000)

Engineers of Dreams

This book profiles the important bridge engineers -- Eads, Cooper, Lindenthal, Ammann, and Steinman -- who contributed to the great engineering triumphs of the 19th and 20th centuries. The New York Times said, "With astonishing scope and generosity of view, Mr. Petroski places the tradition of American bridge-building in perspective."

by Henry Petroski (1995)

Great American Bridges and Dams: A National Trust Guide

This guide provides short histories on hundreds of bridges and dams throughout the United States. David P. Billington, professor of civil engineering at Princeton University, called it "a wide-ranging guidebook through the rich and dramatic heritage of large-scale structures."

by Donald C. Jackson (1988)

Bridges: A History of the World's Most Spectacular Spans

Thoroughly updated from the original edition published in 1997, this oversized "coffee table" book profiles notable bridging achievements in human history. While not written for the specialist, this is still an enjoyable read. The New York Times said that Dupre "captivates the eye, mind and imagination in this ode to the greatest spans and cantilevers of the world."

by Judith Dupre (2017)

The Magnificent Bridges of New York City

It is easy to take New York City's bridges for granted, but the photographs from NYCRoads.com contributor Dave Frieder bring the city's bridges to life by capturing the inherent beauty of these historical civil engineering landmarks. This is a fine art coffee table book with images from 20 of New York's great bridges.

by Dave Frieder (2019)

Six Bridges: The Legacy of Othmar H. Ammann

This book summarizes Ammann's career and exhibits 200 black-and-white photographs and design drawings of his principal achievements: the George Washington Bridge, the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge, the Throgs Neck Bridge, the Triborough Bridge, the Bayonne Bridge, and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.

by Darl Rastorfer (2000)

High Steel: Building the Bridges Across San Francisco Bay

The Northeast was not the only center for innovative bridge construction in the United States. High Steel chronicles the planning, development, and construction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge, two works of architectural and engineering genius built during the 1930s.

by Richard Dillon, Thomas Moulin, and Don DeNevi (1979)

The Bridge at Quebec

Since it was completed in 1917, the Quebec Bridge has had the longest main span of any cantilever bridge in the world. Two tragedies during the bridge's construction took a total of 86 lives. The Bridge at Quebec provides a full account of the long effort to build a bridge at this difficult site, the tragedies that accompanied its construction, and the lessons that its story holds today.

by William D. Middleton (2001)

Bridge Engineering: Design, Rehabilitation, and Maintenance of Modern Highway Bridges

Revised to reflect the latest codes, standards, and technical advances, this practical reference covers every aspect of highway bridge engineering and management. Designed to be understood by entry-level engineers, the fourth edition of this book features the latest analysis, design, and construction methods as well as up-to-date information on materials and components.

by Jim J. Zhao and Demetrios E. Tonias (2017)

Introduction to Tunnel Construction

Tunneling provides a robust solution to a variety of engineering challenges. It is a complex process, which requires a firm understanding of the ground conditions as well as the importance of ground-structure interaction. This book covers the full range of areas related to tunnel construction required to embark upon a career in tunneling. It also includes a number of case studies related to real tunnel projects, to demonstrate how the theory applies in practice.

by David N. Chapman, Nicole Metje, and Alfred Stark (2017)

The Great Society Subway: A History of the Washington Metro

Unlike the pre-World War II rail systems of New York, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia, the Washington Metro was built at a time when most American families already owned cars, and when most American cities had dedicated themselves to freeways, not subways. Why did the nation's capital take a different path? Using extensive archival research as well as oral history, Schrag argues that the Metro can be understood only in the political context from which it was born: the Great Society liberalism of the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations.

by Zachary M.M. Schrag (2014)

Worthy of the Nation: Washington, DC, from L'Enfant to the National Capital Planning Commission

First published in 1977, the updated edition chronicles Washington's design and urban development from the early days of home rule through the early 21st century, Illustrated with plans, maps, and new and historic photographs, the second edition provides researchers and general readers with an appealing and authoritative view of the planning and evolution of the federal district.

by Frederick Gutheim and Antoinette J. Lee (2006)

AIA Guide to Washington, DC

Organized into 19 discrete walking tours, plus one general tour of peripheral sites, the sixth edition of this guide has more than 80 new entries and updated maps. Many existing entries have been rewritten to reflect recent renovations, changes to the buildings' contexts, or additional scholarship.

by G. Martin Moeller Jr. (2022)

The HP Store @ Amazon

Choose from a wide variety of desktops, laptops, printers, ink and toner, and other accessories.

The Logitech Store @ Amazon

Choose from a wide variety of PC accessories including keyboards, mice, webcams, and headsets.

The Canon Store @ Amazon

Get on the road and take some pictures! Choose from a wide variety of digital cameras and accessories.

The Belkin Store @ Amazon

Power up! Choose from a wide variety of home and auto chargers for your laptop, tablet, digital camera, smartphone, or gaming device.

Rand McNally Road Atlas Large- Scale 2026

Mapping since 1872. The latest annual edition of the big Rand McNally road atlas celebrates the nation's 250th birthday and the 100th birthday of US Route 66.

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