Graduation Year
2008
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.A.
Degree Granting Department
American Studies
Major Professor
Gary R. Mormino, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Raymond O. Arsenault, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Darryl G. Paulson, Ph.D.
Keywords
Interstate highway, Turnpike, Politics, St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay
Abstract
Since the introduction of automobiles to Florida in the 1900s, highways have been integral to the state's economy. In the 1950s, statewide limited-access highway projects were introduced in the form of a state-operated turnpike and the national Interstate highway system. This paper traces the simultaneous development of both expressway systems, outlining the previous condition of Florida's highways, the initiatives taken by Florida's governors, and especially the role of William C. Cramer of St. Petersburg, Florida's first Republican United States Congressman since Reconstruction.
In the House of Representatives, as a ranking member of the Roads Subcommittee of the Public Works Committee, Cramer played a prominent role in shaping federal highway policies, addressing corruption in highway politics, keeping Interstates toll-free, and preventing highway funds from being diverted to other programs. He battled proponents of the Sunshine State Parkway, which ran parallel to designated Interstate routes and threatened to make them unfeasible. As the capstone to his public works career, Cramer secured additional mileage to provide for the 'missing link' between Tampa Bay and Miami, which had not been authorized in the original federal outlays. The designation extended a route through St. Petersburg.
Scholar Commons Citation
Whitney, Justin C., "Florida Expressways and the Public Works Career of Congressman William C. Cramer" (2008). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/563
