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Show Highway 91 Improvements Launched For 4-Mile Stretch in Washington Co. Bids for the construction of a Jittle over four miles of Highway High-way 91 in Washington County will be opened by the State Road Commission on Mar. 20, which is one more step toward improvement improve-ment of this major highway in the southern part of the state. There Is greater need for improvement im-provement of this major highway through the Washington County area than any other in the entire distance of the highway through Utah. The bids to be opened are for the construction of 4.306 miles of highway from Leeds to the Har-risburg Har-risburg area. It calls for construc tion of a 4M inch plant mix bituminous bi-tuminous surfaced road and two concrete bridges. The finished highway wlU eliminate a section sec-tion of narrow, winding road. The principal items of work in the contract will be approximately approximate-ly 332,000 cubic yards of unclassi-fled unclassi-fled roadway excavation, 23,700 tons of plant mix bituminous surfacing, 430,000 gallons of bituminous bit-uminous material, 78,900 tons of gravel and 2.168 cubic yards' of concrete. Held Up Projects Two other major highway Improvement Im-provement projects between Cedar Ce-dar City hnd St. George, are being be-ing held up because of problems prob-lems connected with community and irrigation water users. As soon as these problems can be overcome the other two contracts should be undertaken with a vast Improvement In the highway In this part of the state. One section of road from a point northeast of St. George, near Middleton, to the end of the present project at Harrisburg, would have been completed had not a conflict with the residents of Washington developed. Funds were available and contracts rea- - - - 1 -A I A - - tl uv tu im: ici, uui iuc v the community objected partially on the basis of the community being by-passed, but mostly because be-cause it was feared that the construction con-struction would Interfere with and perhaps even eliminate the community water supply. The route crossed Just north of the town of Washington and is said to have bisected a spring area from which the water supply is obtained. The conflict over this problem resulted In the abandonment abandon-ment of the project and the money mon-ey was diverted to other projects. pro-jects. Another route has now been surveyed which would bypass by-pass most of the town, crossing in the outskirts to the south, but would not cross the water supply area. If this new route Is accepted ac-cepted the project could be undertaken un-dertaken In next year's program. The new route involves a short distance of extremely heavy construction con-struction but provides a better grade than the route abandoned. However, it is about 3000 feet longer than the previous route. Black Ridge Route The second area being held up for agreement on various agencies agen-cies is a badly needed re-alignment from Dry Creek to the top of the Black Ridge and crossing Ash J Creek, all in Washington County. Coun-ty. The state has been ready to proceed with this project for some time with the plans calling for bridging of Ash Creek. However, irrigation water users have urged urg-ed that a cooperative agreement be reached under which a reservoir reser-voir dam be built across Ash Creek, creating a valuable water storage facility and providing a roadway across the canyon. It is understood that agreement on this has been reached with both the State Road Commission and the State Water and Power Board approving. However, it entails en-tails the raising of substantial funds by the water users and until this money is raised it will be Impossible to proceed with the project, state officials report. Completion of the section on which bids 'are now asked, and the two sections mentioned, would be a tremendous Improve-1 ment of this transcontinental highway that has been somewhat some-what of a bottleneck for many years. ! |
