Show c I SCALING CLIFFS IN ZION CANY i t Eastward In the thea Indian Land of Mystery l road engineers have undertaken the a top titanic of f the the job mountain building in This of road a tunnel M f fa on the cliff to a pla plateau au sheer mountain cliff through solid rock inside a. a a tain ugh enable motorists to Visit Zion Canyon the Carmel Cannel Highway in In Utah with Zion Canyon When completed It will N North o rth Canyon and anal Bryce Brame 1 Canyon n. without much hack back tracing trace J 1 i. i tf j. j A a 5 I aN Yi 11 i sr T P toa f. f 1 ii x l S' S s 's Y m t 4 yi t r l C i. i S M max o 4 a's Y L. 1 s 4 r f t tr y r r N 1 i P NE ELEVATION AT ENTRANCE t r FT a tYs l j. j 1 aprA i e St t 1 yv a I 4 1 a w 7 P C T Sf CAN YON r mii v i. i v v c 5 I li l r 9 x r sC C N- N xI y V r J. J V f. f I IS ft A. A N M O V tt M R X w n I lUh A L o TUNNEL 4 45 5 lf ENGINEERED l c 1 SHEER WALLy i i r 1 VI I 3 r r rc v r- r l OF CANYON w p l s' s I I II Ii M d Y y 1 I i I 1 a v Is I r r rt i 71 I Ir II Id i d I pl II r r i 1 IIII I a aI I w t t l q I 1 Photo and Article courtesy of Los Angeles Examiner 11 s r A 9 Z S ZION PARK t CHECKING 1 ELEVATION S Tunnel Will WilI- WilI i ok Mountain Hj Highways hw s J- J By Charles H. H Bigelow Ages ago a n vast blanket of sediment was deposited over what is now politically designated as Utah Nevada Nevada revada Ne r vada and Arizona Through millions of years layer on layer this covering continued as though Nature were attempting to imprison refractory refractor genie Eventually surface stresses became so great that this shell cracked thus rough casting Grand Canyon and the m myriad riad of lesser gorges that radiate from it as tree limbs from the parent trunk Since that era of turmoil water wind frost and chemical reactions have bt been en continuously engaged in shaping monolithic i rii or carving chasms Today one of these latter Zion Can Canyon on is world fa fa- fa- fa It is huge enough to awe beautiful enough to appeal to the most ardent devotee of symmetry yet small email enough for the human mind to grasp and appreciate appreciate date both in detail and ensemble To Capt Captain in Lopes de Cardenas tales were related by the Indians having to do with this region Intrigued by these accounts of mighty might rivers and mountains he broke a trail into Utah that touched the upper en end of the Grand Canyon Almost years ears later or in 1776 Padre Escalante extended the Lopez trail to the valley of the Great Salt Lake Disappointed in not having reached the of Montery he turned south along the west shoulder of the Wasatch range and continued to the present site of Las Vegas Nevada Ne along the line of what is now the Arrowhead Trail Next following the religious enthusiasts of Spain came the Latter day Saints Saints Saints-in in the early fifties of the who century h w from the Mormon Zion Zion- Salt Lake Jr City accomplished the J journey journe Urney to San Bernardino California The f reports sent back to Church headquarters convinced President Young that the time would come when the V e- e people he led must establish and maintain maintain main- main tain contact with tide water Being a dreamer a a d Possessed of almost autocratic power he had surveys made and laid out ut the great state mit P highway Jay from m Salt SU Lake City to St. St George Except Ex- Ex occasional line 1 X nC changes the motoring thousands of the century follow the route designated by this empire builder l' l lIn with In Pal Paul 1916 r tr th late if D Douglas White in conversation l G G. G Hoffman I then as now a Studebaker representative in rL Los s Angeles AnSele the l lold L Prophesied that old d Borman M trail J fr from m Salt Lake destined to become to St St. George was I in the one ne of the most important links Jinks I wh which ic wi were transcontinental then tal hl highway way system plans for j I Mr Hoffman being outlined by men of vision S 'S j having a bent Lent for constructive dreams 1 and donated donate 11 I a Studebaker r debaker automobile for use in mapping i another sign posting und and the 15 year old year old trail entered epoch of its tS S e existence stence sence The Arrowhead Trail it 1 Association field of nf Salt was T i formed in 1917 i with trim J. J o. o H. H 11 Manderfield Manderfield Mander- Mander Lake t t thi tive u City as president t. t Accorded the achis active active ac- ac J cooDer cooperation nn of ever every this his community along the route of the organization Sn main iV accomplished the raPid improvement 4 line Next ca Jp 1 through Utah Arizona and Nevada came cam the opening of the of Land Indians i i Mystery mystery Mn Motor Moor nf r r rc roads reads dg S we Were built uil f r A f to the north rim were into ito Z Zion ioni n Canyon n n yon Jon on and to of f the il e Grand Grand' Cay Canyon n- n to Bryce C Can Cedar Cedat Br Breaks aks Each of these National Parka I c ca m E a 1 FF CL CN P Y L FT ELEVATION TOP AT r f r i rl l I II I i i are adequately served by their widely respective highways s but separated Doing ing to ever country topography Now however how how- a conne connecting ing link to ing Pushed to wmS completion the Th This Zion i Is Carmel highway Is being being be- be ing feats of road one of the most outstanding outstanding construction Public Roads undertaken by the Bureau of the carr carrying ng of highway oase of a sheer by tunnel from the mountain the face of the cliff cliff up through solid soUd rock inside to the plateau at Its top data regarding the project within the park was vas taken latel lately from district engineer a report prepared by II J. J Finch with the Federal Bureau Six Siz Switchbacks From the u u checking station at the entrance to the at which park the elevation is feet the road winds its by way a series of switchbacks of Pine along the talus slopes Creek until it distance of four reaches the base of the cliffs in II a miles There and at an elevation of feet six are switchbacks between the checking station and ami the me point at wr which ch ch the road enters the great rock wall These switchbacks are so situated that the they to 2000 feet TM f oy are from 1000 apart so that the they do a succession K of heavy do not give impression of curves The line is so well concealed I Ly by the topography that M from one ne P point ve very ery l little tle of the line line can a be sc seen en thus avoiding the fc appearance of disfigurement oi of landscape From the v I checking stat station on the beginning of ble the work all ork only t two sl short rt sections of the road S will be isU visible visible other work being masked by intervening ridges and forest growths At t the base of the cliff the road enters the tunnel and for a distance of of feet will be along and just within the face Tace of the cliff with frequent op openings at the side these openings called calle galleries affording light and vent ventilation There will wIllbe be six six of these galleries in the tunnel from which the motorist may l look ok down upon the floor of the canyon below and over to the scenic beauties on the other side of the great gorge The alignment in the tunnel is exceptionally good Th The width 22 feet will be ample for safe passage of t the e largest busses and trucks and the ultimate plan provIdes provides pro pro- vides for a concrete pavement with side trails and low center center cen cen- ter driving web The maxim maximum m grade on the project is 6 per cent This grade rade is IS used in m a few places where the alignment is good All other grades are 5 per cent or less The grade in the tunnel is 5 per cent Ridges Tunneled Section 3 of the park service end of the highway extends from the east cast end of the pres present nt contract of the Nevada Contracting Company three and one-half one miles to the east boundary of Zion National Park This section lies in the winding canyons of Upper Pine Creek and Clear Creek In order to secure satisfactory alignment on this section of the project it will be necessary in several se places to cut through h ridges with short tunnels The lon longest et tunnel h ill iii this section is feet in len length th Other tunnels are from to feet long These tunnels are all on a tan tangent ent so that lighting will be unnecessary for the tunnels tunnel on section 3 Since the elevation reached by hv Section 2 is above the arch hea heavy grades are re not n necessary ary on section 3 The grade rade is rolling taking anta ad advantage e of the most favorable fa points in teh canyon an on to secure satisfactory ali alignment and as economical economical econom econom- economical ical con construction as possible This section is classified as per cent solid rock rc Because the sandstone through which the park end of the Zion Zion- Zion It Carmel highway Ya is being constructed has poor wearing qu qualities when exposed to wear near from traffic it willbe will willbe willbe be necessary to surface the entire project within the park before it can be used The surfacing material for sections 1 an any anH 2 will gill be obtained from the gravel bars in the bed of Zion Creek and surfacing material for section 3 will be obtained obtained ob ob- from of limestone east of the park boun boun- dary There will be four bridges ranging in length from 60 feet to feet on the park services service's portion of the high high- way Two of these bridges near the checking station will willbe willbe be concrete arches faced with sandstone masonry The Theother Theother I Iother other two bridges will probably be of concrete or I arches and masonry arches will be used for several smaller structures ranging from 12 to 16 feet in span Construction Inspected Recently a representative of the Los Angeles Examiner through the courtesy of E. E T. T Zion National Park Superintendent and R. R A. A Brown resident engineer for forthe forthe forthe the Bureau of of Public Roads afforded the opportunity to inspect the section now under construction While fully realizing the scenic value of this road to the rim of Zion Canyon its utilitarian value was doubted by the Stu Studebaker p party until the following facts were brought to their attention First a ready market for the products cf of Utah's Dixie will be available 8 by this short line connection connection connection tion with the high altitude valleys valles of the Sevier River second when the Lees Lee's Ferry bridge and th the road from Hou Valley to Jacobs Jacob's Lake on the Mountain Mountain Moun Moun- tain are completed next fall the National Ol Old Tr Trails ils highway highway high high- way will dis discharge harge a 8 great number of m motorists into this Phoenix and Salt Lake section third the distance between City City will be r reduced hundreds hundreds o of miles miles In addition motoring motoring motor motor- ing tourists will be able to visit Zion Can Canyon on the North orth Rim Bryce Canyon thence to Salt Lake City without backtracking backtracking back back- back j tracking except frem Kanab to Grand Canyon through the Forest I |