OCR Text |
Show I - s : J n '-1 " - 4A? I ' " -A 1 a4v" ' ' ---a iA 1IAA ' , A . u "-'I aJ- sv1 aa-x-M x - 1 AAAAsf - S?,xi-k' . A.:-r a J Courtesy Zion Studio Zion Canyon Narrows, One of a 1000 Beauty Spots. supplemented by floating gangs that are equipped to make such repairs as require several men and special equipment. The work of the patrolmen patrol-men is to keep the road surface up to standard, ditches and culverts open shoulders graded, weeds cut, etc. Work performed by the gangs consists con-sists in the removal of breakages and slides, hauling and placing renewals to gravel surfaces. The upkeep of structures requires that repairs be made to guard railing and timber bridges, that steel bridges be repainted, repaint-ed, bolts tightened, channels cleared, etc. Upon the completion of Federal Aid project No. 11, Lund to Cedar City, Iron county provided for its continuous contin-uous repair and upkeep by a system of patrols, this being before the days of the gasoline tax, and furnished the state with its first example of a road maintained by the patrol system. sys-tem. It proved so effective that its adoption throughout the state was general. In 1924 the State Road Commission Com-mission undertook a share of the costs of maintenance of state roads with funds made available by the gasoline tax. In 1925. fiftey per cent of such maintenance costs were borne by the state and in ,1926 the state relieved the counties of all obligation under this head on the state road system. It now costs approximately $700,-000 $700,-000 annually to maintain the state roads of Utah and these costs are rising with the steady increase in traffic. The use of the roads for for Kanab with the railroad at Cedar City and an all-year route, the summit sum-mit elevation on the proposed road being 6500 feet, which is some 3500 feet lower than that over the Cedar-Long Cedar-Long Valley road. The importance of this connection link has long been recognized , but its great cost, ort account ac-count of the rugged country traversed travers-ed has delayed its construction pending pend-ing the improvement of the existing roads in this region and their interstate inter-state connections. The most expensive expens-ive portion of this roadway will be tiie eight miles lying within the park boundaries. It will surmount the east rim of Zion Canyon with a maximum grade of 5 per cent. The road will be recessed over a portion of its length within the sheer precipices of the canyon wall, displaying from its winding galleries, views of unexampled unexampl-ed magnificence. This eight miles of spectacular highway will cost, it is estimated, in excess of 1,000,000. It will be financed by the .National Parks Service and constructed by the Bureau of Public Roads. The remaining remain-ing 17 miles, all in Kane county, will be built by the state, with the federal government participating in its financing. fi-nancing. The estimated cost is $300, 000. The state is ready to proceed with its portion of the construction and it is believed that the road will be completed throughout its entire length and opened to traffic within two years. Within Washington and Iron counties coun-ties is comprised most of the mileage designated for improvement under the Federal Aid law in the scenic region. The projects completed to date by the state within these two counties with federal aid with mileage and costs are as follows: ....Iron County: Cedar-Lund, 33 miles gravel, $334,300; Buckhorn Flat, 9.5; miles gravel, $68,500; Cedar-Kanarra, 12 miles gravel, $99,400; Parowan-Winn Parowan-Winn Hollow, 9.6 miles gravel, $94,-300; $94,-300; Cedar City concrete, 1.1 miles. $32,400, plus city's portion, $10,000; Kanarra to Washington county Una, 4.5 miles gravel estimated to cost $38,000 is under construction. Roads in Scenic Southwest Utah By H. V. RICHARDS, Statistician, State Road Commission. The scenic beauty and geologic interest in-terest of the National Parks of Southern South-ern Utah are so remarkable that they continue to command a large amount of space in the metropolitan newspapers news-papers throughout the United States, and in the magazines devoted to tour-is tour-is travel and the scenic resources of the nation. Since good roads are primarily responsible for the success attained thus far, so will the future development of this region 'depend upon an adequate road building program. pro-gram. That everyone connected with road-building road-building activities recognizes the importance im-portance of this statement is evidenced evi-denced by the road projects recently completed or under way for the accommodation ac-commodation of the heavy tourist traffic that will inevitably result as the fame of Utah attractions continues con-tinues to grow. The state in co-operation with the federal bureau of public roads and forest service, has improved to a high standard 190 miles of road in the region re-gion which includes Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks and Bryce Canyon Can-yon at a total cost to date of $2,000,-000, $2,000,-000, and chiefly from allotments of federal funds. This is exclusive of the notable work performed by the national parks service in the construction con-struction of highways and trails within with-in the environs of Zion National Park, the mileage and costs of which are not reported to this office. Extensive surveys have been completed com-pleted on the proposed 25-mile Zion Park-Mt. Carmel connection. When completed this road will effect a saving sav-ing of 100 miles over existing routes in travelling from Cedar Breaks to Zion Park and thence to Bryce Canyon. Can-yon. As a scenic loop for tourist travel during the summer months from Cedar City over the Cedar-Long Valley road to Bryce Canyon and returning re-turning via Zion Park to Cedar City, there will be a reduction of approximately approxi-mately 130 miles as compared with present routes. It will also provide an economic commercial connection travel during the winter months is be-comming be-comming increasingly popular and snow removal on many of our roads is an important and expensive item in the annual budget. In our thinly populated state, 70 per cent of its area being still a part of the public domain, merely to keep our extensive mileage of splendid roads to standard stand-ard and to pay the interest and sinking sink-ing fund charges on road bonds outstanding out-standing will continue to be a heavy tax on our resources. Future improvements im-provements must depend, to a large extent upon financial assistance from the general government. Federal Aid in Utah, exclusive of forest road construction, con-struction, will continue to the amount of $850,000 each year to the close of the fiscal year 1029. There is no assurance as-surance that it will continue beyond that period. It is of paramount importance im-portance to the development of this state and its scenic resources that federal aid co-operation in highway construction remain a fact on the statute sta-tute books until our total of 1684 miles of road in the federal aid system sys-tem has been improved to the required requir-ed standard. There is no other section sec-tion of the country where more is to be gained by highway improvement than in the Public Land states and, as a consequence, no other section in which the per capita expenditure for highways is equalled. Within a very few years, if our present rate of progress can be continued, every mile of our principal highways will be satisfactorily sat-isfactorily improved and accommodating accommodat-ing as never before the local and interstate in-terstate traffic and the tourist travel from adjoining and distant states. Washington County: Anderson's Ranch-Ash Creek, 7.3 miles gi'avel with four concrete bridges, $149,000; Ash Creek to Iron county line with 130-ft. clear span concrete arch bridge across Ash Creek, $189,000; Anderson's Ander-son's Ranch-Toquerville, 2.8 miles gravel with 150-ft. concrete bridge, $50,000; Rockville-Zion Park, 6.4 miles gravel, $119,000; St. George-Harris-burg Bench, 8.9 miles gravel with 235-ft. 235-ft. tunnel, $172,000. Rockville-Dal-ton Wash, 7.6 miles gravel estimated cost $110,000 is under construction. In Gai-field and Kane counties, foi'-est foi'-est projects completed by the Bureau of Public Roads, financed by the Forest For-est Service with local or state cooperation co-operation in part are: Circleville Canyon, Can-yon, 4.5 miles graded, $64,000; Bryce Canyon, 5 miles gravel, $28,000; Rod Canyon, 7.6 miles gravel, $115,000: Garfield county line-Glendale, 13.5 miles part surfaced, $103,900; Bryce-Tropic, Bryce-Tropic, 2.9 miles graded, $50,000. The Cedar-Long Valley road via Cedar Breaks and Navajo Lake, 42 miles, also a forest project, surfaced in part, cost $368,000. The spur to Cedar Breaks, 4.1 miles long, will be built on a relocation at an estimated cost of $38,000. the new road to be a marked mark-ed improvement in grade and alignment. align-ment. Miscellaneous state projects in the last two years without federal aid in the four counties have cost $33,000. Both Federal Aid and Forest projects pro-jects when completed are taken over for maintenance by the state with funds derived from the Gasoline Tax. It is axiomatic that the heavy expenditure ex-penditure of public funds as above outlined, should be efficiently conserved. con-served. Evidence of"the improvement in this direction is apparent from the fact that whereas the average expenditure expen-diture for gravel road maintenance prior to the enactment of the gasoline gaso-line tax law was $S8 per mile each year, the averace rate is now $210. This includes the additions of new material to the travelled way, in re-nlacing re-nlacing the surface losses resulting from the wear and tear of traffic. It also includes much closer attention to the riding qualities of the road than was formerly possible with the very limited funds available. The patrol system of maintenance has been adopted on all main routes, i i S i 4 Ah ' ' . t- . r. ' s i k" ' . .. " rj I A ' S Courtesy Zion Studio "Angels- Pathway." On Highway to Cedar Breaks. |