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Show wBCflSRENCE AGREES TO MAKE RyCE CANYON U. S. PARK AND j BUILD JIT. CARMEL HIGHWAY Completion of Road in Two Years is geen; All Obstacles Practically Practic-ally Removed. Agreement was practically reached Wednesday afternoon between the cate the Union Pacific, the national rk service and federal bureau of public pub-lic roads by which Bryce canyon will become a national park and construc- ion of the Zion-Mt. Carmel road will be completed within two years time. A number of details remain to be concluded carrying Into effect the agreement, but a definite understanding understand-ing was reached as to the course which be followed. Dr. L. I- Hewes, San Francisco, regional reg-ional director of the United States bureau of public roads and Horace M. Albright, superintendent of Yellowstone Vational park and assistant director of the park service arrived in Salt Lake early Wednesday morning. Preceeding the general conference with Governor George H. Dern they were taken on a visit to Provo canyon by H. S. Kerr, chief engineer of the state road commission, com-mission, to inspect the new oiling work now in progress in the canyon. There were no differences standing in the way of reaching satisfactory agreement for building the Zion-Mt. Carmel road and of designating Bryce canyon a national park prior to the conference Wednesday and the representatives repre-sentatives of the various agencies were expecting to conclude many of the details de-tails at the afternoon meeting. Name Delegates present at the conference were Governor Gov-ernor Dern, Secretary of State H. E. Crockett and John T Oldroyd, secretary secre-tary of the land board, representing the state land board; Chairman Henry H. Blood and others representing the state road commission; Dr. Hewes and B. J. Pinch, district engineer representing represent-ing the bureau of public roads; Mr. Albright Al-bright and E. T. Scoyan, superintendent superinten-dent of Zion National park, representing represent-ing the national park service; George H. Smith, general counsel and Randall L. Jones, parks representative, representing repre-senting the Utah Parks company. The Union Pacific it was reported is ready to turn its lands on the rim of Bryce canyon back to the state land office and the state is ready to take action in granting the section of state school land on the rim of Bryce to the federal government for lieu lands to be A chosen later. This will give the federal government the ownership of all lands embraced with the proposed national park area and will remove the objections held by park officials against building the Zion-Mt. Carmel road. Construction of this road has been held up because of the objection that the park service was not justified in malting such a large expenditure as this road contemplated, until the road might serve the purpose of linking together to-gether a series of three national parks, Zion, Grand canyon and Bryce or the Utah National park as the latter is proposed. Build From Canyon Advices heretofore received by the governor's office were to the effect that the park service is ready to complete com-plete its part of the Zion-Mt. Carmel road within two years thereby meeting the terms laid down by the state and the Union Pacific under which it would cede back lands in Bryce canyon to the federal government. It is the plan to undertake the first "n't of the road construction from the floor of Zion National park up to and including most of the arch work In the wall of the canyon on Pine creek. There is available about $7,000,000 for this work. As soon thereafter as possible the state will undertake the road from Mt. Carmel to join with the road out of the park boundary. This end of the road is already completely financed and will can for expenditure of about $305,000. Relocate Road Originally a survey was made which allowed for some seven per cent maximum maxi-mum grade for the road bed. However the bureau of public roads has relocated relocat-ed the road up Pine creek to cut down the maximum grade to six per cent and the state has found it necessary to make a new survey of its section of the road to make a corresponding reduction re-duction in the grade. This survey will be finished within two weeks and by Dec. 1, the state road department will be prepared to advertise for bids on the project unless there are some difficulties that cannot now be foreseen. Mr. Blood said, The state is ready to guarantee that its part of the road will be finished as soon as that to be built by the federal departments. Part of the state's project will have to be built before construction can be completed on the second section of the road within the park as it will have to be used by the federal contractors. With the state's project and the first section in the park built, work may then be carried ahead next year from both ends to build the intervening gap along the precipitous canyon walls. Deseret News. |
