| Show shortening of utah arizona road proposed As part of the improvement program adopted at the fall meeting of the international highway association so in phoenix october 12 the arizona arizon a state highway commission will be requested to approve the verde arver highway between phoenix and flagstaff arizona the projected new highway which follows the verde river much of its distance has been surveyed by the federal government the survey provides low grades and easy curves with high standard construction called for the verde route described as the most direct practical route between the two arizona cities would cut seventy five miles from the present highway distance and obviate the necessity of following the present circuitous mountain road through prescott and arizona federal road officials have intimated to officers of the international highway association that construction on fifty miles of the new highway within the boundaries of the tonto national forest will be started immediately upon approval of the route by the arizona highway commission no federal action can be taken until the state commission designates the route and provides connecting roads at the forest boundaries P R helm executive vice president of the international highway association has predicted the construction of the verde ro road adwill will reduce trucking costs between southern arizona and utah by twenty five percent present freight lines find it unprofitable to make the trip over the he present heavy grades south of prescott even at the prevailing rates ates mr helm said to the mileage saving the proposed verde road is expected to cut three hours traveling time for the trip between phoenix and southern utah engineers say speeds from fifty to sixty miles an hour will be possible for most of the distance on the verde link highway association officials in phoenix are concentrating on securing quick action towards this the final major improvement to tobe be made on the intermountain intel mountain highway between canada and mexico |
