How did land and water transportation affect westward expansion?

The Industrial Revolution began in the United States during the end of the 1700s and early 1800s. Despite this new era in mechanically producing goods on a large scale, it was particularly centered in the Northeast and did not give rise to Westward Expansion right away.
Westward Expansion began with the introduction of two types of transportation methods: roads and canals. The United States government allowed private companies to start building toll-roads that connected the East with the West. For example, in the early 1800s the National Road was constructed and connected the areas between the Potomac River and the Ohio River. Canals are defined as an “artificial waterway constructed for navigation, irrigation, waterpower, etc.” Canals allowed the new and improved steamboats to transport people and goods to and from the West in a fraction of the time it used to take by land or pre-existing water routes. Both of these transportation routes made it possible for cities and states in the Great Lakes Region to prosper by reducing shipping costs of goods and connecting them to the markets in the East, as well as in Europe. People were no longer land-locked East of the Appalachian Mountains. As the Industrial Revolution Era continued throughout the 1800s, new inventions such as the steam-locomotive (train) expanded the opportunity for people to move further and further West across the country. By the 1870s, one could travel from New York City, NY to San Francisco, CA in less than 5 days; something that used to take 5+ months just a few short decades before."canal". Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. HarperCollins Publishers. 10 Feb. 2018..Further Reading:
http://amhistory.si.edu/onthemove/themes/story_47_1.html

The developments in land and water transportation, such as the construction of post roads, railroads, and canals, contributed greatly to westward expansion in the United States. The transport systems facilitated the migration of more people to the west. For instance, the Erie Canal, which was opened in 1825, gave access to Northwestern lands such as Ohio and Illinois. Settlers were attracted to the region because it was fertile. More people moved to Northern California to pursue wealth after gold was discovered in 1849 and later to Nevada after the discovery of silver.
The transport systems also enhanced trade by connecting the entire country. The transcontinental railroad of 1869, for example, interlinked the country from one coast to the other, making the transportation of people and cargo faster and cheaper.