Washington County News | 1929-02-28 | Page 1 | Plans Shape for Zion Highway

PLANS SHAPE FOR ZION HIGHWAY Every Indication That Road Will Be Completed For Use During the Coming Summer Plans are now rapidly taking shape for the letting of the remaining con tracts for completion of the section of the Zion-Mt. Carmel highway in Zion National Park, according to E. T. Scoyen, superintendent. Mr. Scoyen was recently in Ogden where" he conferred with B. J. Finch, district engineer, United States bureau of public roads, who informed him that plans for the two bridges, one across the Virgin river and the other across Pine creek, are now practically complete and ready to submit for bids. Officials of the bureau of roads are also making plans and specifications specifi-cations for the surfacing of the entire en-tire highway, additional timbering in a few sections of the tunnel which weaknesses in the rocks forming the roof make somewhat dangerous, and also for giving the entire tunnel a coat of gunnite. This means placing a coat of concrete about an , inch thick on the rock forming the tunnel roof by shooting it from a compressed compress-ed air gun. Due to the fact the tunnel tun-nel is through a sandstone formation, forma-tion, there is a tendency for the rock to shale off, and, although not dangerous, dan-gerous, a piece of the material falling fall-ing may cause injury to someone passing pass-ing through the tunnel. The gunnite will provide a wide margin of safety. Mr. Scoyen also stated that there was every indication that the road will be open some time during the coming summer, and, although early season visitors will probably be obliged oblig-ed to use the present Pipe Springs Deseret road, it is expected that those coming later in the summer will be able to drive over the great highway.