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Show STATE RUSHES PLANS FOR UNK HIGHWAY Completion of plans and surveys for constructing the state's link of the great scenic highway to connect Zion national park with the Bryce-Grand Canyon highway was announced Monday Mon-day my H. S. Kerr," chief engineer for the state road commission. The project will be the largest to be undertaken in 1928 entailing the building build-ing of 16 miles of road at an approximate approx-imate cost of $30,000 per mile. Of this 74 per cent will be advanced by the federal government and the remainder will be put up by the state. The project will be contracted in two sections, according to Mr. Kerr. Plans for the first 10 miles joining the proposed pro-posed park road on the west are now being reviewed by the federal bureau of public roads preparatory to the advertising ad-vertising for bids and awarding contract. con-tract. The state should be ready to advertise this first ten mile stretch within two weeks, Mr. Kerr said. The plans for the remaining six miles are well in han5 and the state road commission expects to advertise this road for construction bids about two weeks later. Construction work is well under way on the first section of the road within the park area under the contract con-tract let last summer to the Nevada Construction company. This contract calls for completion of the heaviest part or the park road and involved the expenditure of several hundred thousand dollars of the money appropriated appro-priated by congress for construction of roads and trails in national parks. It will complete the road from the park floor near the registration station to the rim of the plateau with the exception ex-ception of the bridge over the Mukun-tuweap Mukun-tuweap river. A further appropriation for completing com-pleting the remainder of the road within the park boundary has been pledged by the park service, to become available next July 1. Plans are well in hand for letting the contract as soon as this money becomes available. With the awarding of the two state contracts next spring, work will be proceeding on four major projects practically simultaneously. This work in the aggregate will cost about $1,750,-000 $1,750,-000 of which less than $150,000 will be put up by the state. The remainder of the funds will be from special appropriations ap-propriations to the national parks which the park service agreed to advance ad-vance providing the state would complete com-plete the road to Mt. Carmel and also from the regular appropriation of federal' fed-eral' aid ,allot,ted to the state. Deseret News. |