public works

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun plural Construction projects, such as highways or dams, financed by public funds and constructed by a government for the benefit or use of the general public.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun Technical projects, often construction or engineering, carried out by the government on behalf of the community.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun structures (such as highways or schools or bridges or docks) constructed at government expense for public use