As the Universal Car, the Model T acted as both the commuter vehicle (right & left) and the utility vehicle (center). Courtesy of the University of Utah, Marriott Library. 

Infrastructure construction proved to be a continual process throughout the 1900s, especially once people became dependent on cars. The Ford Model T, labeled the “Universal Car,” was first produced in 1908 and allowed for an increase in automobile ownership.[1] Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, called it “a car for the great multitude.”[2] 

With more cars driving on already crumbling roads, drivers began to realize the importance of road improvement, causing them to join the Good Roads Movement. The early Good Roads Movement, which began in the 1880s, originally focused on improving unpaved, rural roads to make travel easier for farmers and cyclists.[3] In Utah, the Good Roads movement found success with the aid of state representative David Roberts beginning in 1903. Even after his time in office, Roberts championed the cause of Utah road construction.[4]