Millions for Arizona Highways

Millions to Build Arizona

ITHIN the Arizona State Highway System there are approximately 3,007 miles of highways. Of this amount of mileage approximately 1,970 miles are on the Fed-eral Aid 7% System which comprises the Primary system of highways, and 1,037 miles are on non-7% System, or the remainder of the State System.

Since the introduction of the oil pro-cess, or low-cost pavement, in Arizona five years ago, the efforts of the High-way Department have been concen-trated on the problem of bringing the Primary System up to completion.

At the present time, there are ap-proximately 1,500 miles of paved and oiled roads, including 97 miles under contract for paving and oiling, on the Primary System, which leaves approxi-mately 470 miles incompleted.

Approximately 45 miles are budgeted (1934-35) for paving and oiling and 184 miles are graded and ready for oil processing. Fifty-three miles are under grading contracts or call for bids, and 188 miles are unbuilt.

U. S. 60 from Globe east has the greatest mileage of unbuilt road on the state system, there being 82.4 miles yet to grade. It is approximately 150.5 miles from Globe to the New Mexico state line by the route surveyed. Grad ing has been completed on 60.4 miles and 3.9 miles is now under construction on Section "G" of Project No. 99 which is in the canyon 3.6 miles northeast of the bridge recently completed over the Salt River.

The work of getting into and out of the Salt River canyon on U. S. 60 is by far the heaviest continuous con-struction ever undertaken by this de-partment. On Section "G" alone the contract calls for over 350,000 cubic yards of excavation in less than 4 miles. The completion date on this job is De-cember 31, 1935. A 4.5 mile portion (Section I) beginning at the Cibecue road and running south is under call for bids now, and Section "H", 6.5 miles

$26,896,000 Needed to Launch New Projects and Oil Present System.

By T. S. O'CONNELL State Highway Engineer which closes the gap between "G" and "I" will be ready by March, leaving Section "J" 6.3 miles to complete U. S. 60 in Gila County. From the Gila-Navajo county line to Showlow 23.2 miles and from Showlow east to Apache County line 10.8 miles, the U. S. Bur-eau of Public Roads is working up the plans to be built under their sup-ervision. This scheme puts all of the work in Navajo County under the di-rection of the Bureau of Public Roads, leaving that portion in Apache County to be built. At the present time this last portion is not included in the 7% System.

The total estimate to complete U. S. 60 to an oil stage from Globe to the New Mexico state line is $3,672,000 of which $1,919,000 is estimated for grad-ing and $1,753,000 for oiling.

Another primary road with a great deal of incompleted mileage is U. S. 89 from Flagstaff to Fredonia. A contract for grading 10.6 miles of this road beginning at the forest reserve bound-ary north of Flagstaff and running north was let recently. This leaves 13.7 miles to grade into Cameron, 9 miles of which is in the newly extended portion of the Navajo Indian Reserva-tion, and 4.7 under call for bid. There also remains about 13 miles in the forest reserve to be built, which will complete the grading to Cameron.

There are only 11.2 miles yet to build between Cameron and the Navajo Bridge and this job should be ready for bids soon. From the bridge to Fre-donia there remains a 15 mile portion south of Fredonia to construct. A sum-mary of U. S. 89 north of Flagstaff then is as follows: 52.9 miles unimproved 130.1 miles graded 10.6 miles under contract 1-7-35 193.6 miles Jctn. U. S. 66 to Utah State line.

None of this road has been oiled and the total estimated cost to complete the entire route is $2,750,000 of which $666,000 is for grading and $2,094,000 is estimated for oiling. The grading item does not include the 10.6 miles now under contract for grading.

U. S. Route 66 is fast coming to the completed stage. The distance across the state on this route is 385 miles and is paved or programmed for this year, with exception of 20.6 miles through Aubrey Valley, west of Seligman, and 3.5 miles in Crozier Canyon, 30 miles north of Kingman. It is expected that the Aubrey Valley sections will be ready to oil by next season. The estimated amount to complete U. S. 66 after completion of this year's program is $470,000,000. State Route 79, be-tween Prescott and Flagstaff, via Jerome, is 85.9 miles. Beginning at the junction of U. S. 89, six miles north of Prescott 15 miles of oil pavement which is non 7% mileage has been com-pleted to the Forest Boundary. The next 13 miles to Jerome is over Mingus Mountain, and part of this will be re-built and widened this year. A con-tract for 3.2 miles of new grading run-ning east from Cottonwood is now under contract and the next 21.4 miles to Sedonia is being designed by the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads to be built under their supervision. A 4-mile con-tract west from Sedonia was awarded by B.P.R. a short time ago. The re-maining 29.4 miles to Flagstaff is new-ly graded and gravel surfaced, and a dust palliative will be placed on this job this year. It will take approxi-mately $700,000 to complete the oiling of this route after the construction set up in this year's program is complete. U. S. Route 260 from Holbrook to Springerville, a distance of 94.8 miles is now oil paved for 44.2 miles be-

Highways

tween Concho and Springerville and for 5.9 miles out of Holbrook, leaving 44.7 miles to complete. Grading is now under contract on Project 78-H which includes a new bridge across the Lit-tle Colorado near Hunt. Besides an item of $125,000 for re-alignment and regrading of the road from Concho north to the Little Colorado River Bridge, it will cost about $430,000 to complete the oiling on this route after this year's program is completed.

Our state system of highways, sep-arate from the F. A. 7% System, com-prises 1,037 miles, of which only 141 miles are completed, that is, paved or oiled, or budgeted for oil.

The total cost for completion of the 7% System is as follows:

CONDENSED SUMMARY OF 7 PER CENT SYSTEM

U. S. 66 $3,672,000 U. S. 89 2,750,000 U. S. 66 470,000 State 79 700,000 U. S. 260 430,000 Total $8,022,000 Individual, or miscellaneous projects on 7% System $ 5,635,000 Total to complete State System to oil 13,239,000 Grand total $26,896,000 The above tabulation does not take into account the fact that many of our completed projects need widening, re-alignment, new bridges, etc. These items alone run $5,635,000 and are taken because of their individual merits and of their value as measured after a study of all conditions surrounding each case. Usually such projects are studied from the safety angle, taking into account their economic value based on present and future traffic needs.

The following is a tabulation of those individual projects on the 7% System having a degree of merit warranting immediate attention.