The relationship of old trails, the telegraph, and railroads

[Carnut]

Everyone is familiar with our highways often flanking rail lines and telephone/telegraph lines existing between them.  In Michigan, Virginia, and probably many states there are roads named "Telegraph Road."  Some of them later became U.S. Highways or parts of U.S. Highways.  An 1866 act of Congress granted telegraph companies access and easement across public lands and along Postal Roads however whether any of their construction and maintenance roads became any of the named seems to be without any specific mention.  It would be interesting to know just how many of those roads actually became a part of our highway system.