Public works provide the physical infrastructure essential to the social and economic settlement and are indispensable to commerce and industry. Governmental institutions, land, capital, labor, and public support are prerequisites for the development of virtually all public works facilities. Since the nation was founded over 200 years ago, states, cities, counties, townships, and special districts, as well as various agencies of the federal government, have contracted for the construction of thousands of public works projects. Although normally financed by various governmental units, public works are usually built by contractors who employ large numbers of individuals from the private sector. From the individual who loads salt on a truck at 2 a.m., to the drivers who snowplow thoroughfares, technicians who monitor the flow of water through your community's watermains, and workers who repair roads, underground water systems, and highway rest stops.
Public works is a profession of community service.