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Show HIGHWAY DOTTLE NECK Awarding of a contract tor improving Highway 91 between be-tween Leeds and Harrisburg in Washington County is a , .big step toward the improvement of this important federal feder-al highway. However, the true value of such improvements cannot be realized until bottle necks in other places in the traffic artery are removed. In fact, any improvement in Highway 91 in southern Utah cannot mean much until the Black Ridge section of the road is taken care of. Few bottle-necks exist in any major highway comparable compara-ble to the Black Ridge in southern Utah. It is a slow, winding wind-ing and dangerous piece of road at any time, and is particularly par-ticularly hazardous and slow in the winter time. This section of the highway has had apparent "top prioritjr1-' for a number of years, but has been held up because be-cause of a proposal for cooperative effort between the Road Commission and water users of the area. It is proposed pro-posed that a storage dam be built at Ash Creek which could be used in place of a bridge to span the creek, with the water users and the road commission dividing the cost. This Is perhaps an excellent idea, but we see no reason for further delay while this proposal is being considered. It is time that the state road commission took action on this proposal and either insist that it be brought to a conclusion and work be started soon, or that the idea be abandoned and construction allowed to proceed as was originally ori-ginally planned with a bridge spanning the creek. Much progress has been made on development of Highway 91, but travel is increasing at a tremendous rate and will continue to increase in the next few years, 'and it is time that this bad spot be removed from what is rapidly becoming an excellent highway. There are other spots that need improving. The section from Harrisburg to near St. George, Utah Hill west of St. George, and the traffic bottle neck through Utah County, but none need attention as badly as the Black Ridge section. The Harrlsburg-St. George section and the Utah County Coun-ty problem are In the process of correction and will undoubtedly un-doubtedly be taken care of soon, but the Black Ridge situation sit-uation seems to be at a standstill. It is time for action and the people of the state should demand that action. Only slightly less important than the Black Ridge and only because It is not quite as bad, is the Utah Hill. Both should be "must" projects of the State Road Commission. |