In the United States of America, the first roads were built during the Colonial time period and were done so my the various European colonies. The earliest roads were used as for transportation from the ports to inland settlements. Some of these early road were build as postal routes, but even these were heavily used for transportation.

After the United States became a country, the first highways were built using routes that were established by the colonists. Many other highways continued to follow and today, its possible to travel across the United States using a large network of federal, national, state and county highways.

All of the old roads contained in the following list exist in some form today, most only being found in the foundation of the more modern highways. However, their are a few that still exist in the same or nearly same condition as when they were first traveled. Often these remnants of the ancient road are paralleled by today&prim;s national roads and highways.

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, (English: Royal Road of the Interior Land). This royal road was also know as the Silver Route, one which was used from 1598 to 1882. This roadpath was a Spanish built road of about 1590 miles in length which traversed from Mexico City northward to Santa Fe, New Mexico and eventually as far north to San Juan Pueblo in New Mexico.

The Albany Post Road was officially established in 1669 when the Dutch colonists in New Amsterdam (New York) created a post road based on trails used by the Wappinger/Wicopee tribes of Native Americans. In 1703, the Provincial Legislature passed a Publick Highways act and the postal road was turned into a public highway. The colonists decided to name the road Queen′s Road after Queen Anne.

Most of Albany Post Road has been renamed and updated, but a 6 mile stretch of unpaved original road still exists. This historic part of the road is called the Old Albany Post Road and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Originally called Mohegan Road, this roadpath was first laid out in 1670. Before this, the road was used as a Native American trail for more than a century. The original route of Mohegan Road was between New London and Norwich, Connecticut along the east side of the Thames River. In 1792, the Mohegan Road was updated and it became the first turnpike in New England and the second turnpike ever built in the United States.

The modern Route 32 dates back to the New England Interstate Era, which is where the road got its number. Even after Connecticut stopped using the New England Interstate route, state highway 32 kept its numbering.

The Boston to New York Post Road, originally mapped in 1645 by John Winthrop Junior, son of the Massachusetts Bay Colony governor and established in 1673. Over time, the Boston Post Road carved out three travel routes: the upper post road, lower post road, and middle route. Today, these three routes of the Boston Post Road are now the I-95, I-91, and I-94.

The oldest part of Connecticut Route 108 dates back to 1696 and was originally called the Farm Highway. It was Trumbull, Connecticut′s first highway and was completed on 07 December 1696.

The modern version of Route 108 was established in 1932 and for many years the road was fairly neglected. Originally, Route 108 only went from the town of Shelton to a dead-end in Huntington village. Eventually, the road was extended in 1952 and then given three more miles in 1963.

The Forbes Road was an important trail used by colonial British forces during the French and Indian War (Seven Year′s War) in Pennsylvania. The road was named for Brigadier General John Forbes, who led the expedition to build the road. Once completed, Forbes Road was used to transport the British troops, supplies, and artillery to the French Fort Duequesne, in what is now downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

After the Seven Years′ War, Forbes Road continued to be used and made communication and trade easier between the eastern and western parts of the Pennsylvania colony. There are several historic markers making note of Forbes Road on modern roads such as US 22, US 11, and US 522.

The National Road was the very first highway built in the United States entirely through federal funds. Construction of the National Road was authorized in 1806 by Congress under President Thomas Jefferson. Congress wanted to establish a road from what was then the center of the United States in Maryland, to the westward side of the country at the time, which was Ohio.

The route of the National Road followed a similar path to a military road (Braddock Road) carved out by George Washington and General Braddock in 1754-55. Unlike a lot of early roads, the National Road was built to last from the start and it was paved with broken stones. Today, the National Road is part of US Route 40.

The idea for the Lincoln Highway was conceived by a group of automobile enthusiasts and industry officials who called themselves the Lincoln Highway Association (LHA). The LHA was led by Carl Fisher who dreamed of a road that spanned across the United States from coast to coast and would accommodate automobiles. Fisher called his idea the Coast-to-Coast Rock Highway and wanted the new highway to serve as a model for how all future highways in the United States should be built.

To fund the highway, Fisher convinced his friends in the automotive industry to pledge one million dollars each. However, Henry Ford was notably absent from the list of donors event though Fisher had asked because Ford believed that the government should be responsible for building the country′s roads. The Lincoln Highway was built over many years and today, most of the road is now part of U.S. 30.