WPA Building Highways

IMPROVED traffic arteries from farm to market, mine to mar-ket, city to playground, and im-proved state highways and city streets are in the making as Works Progress administration gains impetus on a program under which 50 projects, proposing the expenditure of close to $2,000,000, are at present in op-eration.

Approximately 20 per cent of the num-ber of projects in operation under the works program are on Arizona second-ary roads, highways and city streets, proposing paving, surfacing, widening, drainage and beautification over an area from Short Creek, in the northwest cor-ner of the state, to Douglas in the south-east, W. J. Jamieson, state administra-tor, pointed out.

With secondary roads receiving the largest percentage of funds alloted, road and highway improvement projects con-template the expenditure of nearly $1,600,000 of federal funds. City street paving, improvement, and drainage proj-ects propose the expenditure of more than $250,000.

In Maricopa County alone, almost three-quarters of a million dollars has been alloted for projects which include the improvement of approximately 1,000 of the 3,000 miles of county roads, as well as other projects.

Largest of projects in operation on the highways is one of roadside improve-ment, in operation in Maricopa County, under which large crews of workmen are at present on U. S. highways 60 and 80, between Tempe and Phoenix. Concrete and graveled walks will border the high-way to complete a beautification pro-gram which includes clearing of road-side and landscaping. The entire project was originally approved with an allot-ment of $408,454. Under construction on the same highway, from Phoenix city limits east, are several blocks of sidewalk and curb and gutter.

Under Maricopa's county road improve-ment projects, workmen are at present busy on the improvement of U. S. highway 80, between Phoenix and Buckeye, including widening, improvement of shoulders, drainage and other features. Another crew is engaged on a similar job in the north Phoenix rural area, and a third near Tolleson. Construction is under way on Twentieth street, east of Phoenix, a distance of two miles to Mc-Dowell road.

Secondary Roads Getting Attention Under Work Relief Program in Arizona

More than a quarter of a million dollars is proposed to be expended on the county project.

Construction of a highway through Papago Park to Scottsdale, branching from the highway a short distance north of Tempe, is under way. The new road will eliminate an underpass under a canal viaduct, curves, and will shorten the driv-ing distance between the two towns.

Bridge construction is begun under a highway project near Yuma. A project for improvement of Pinal mountain roads, near Globe, is in operation, and one of drainage of roads, near Miami. Street improvement projects in Phoenix and Globe are in operation.

Most extensive among highway improvement programs in the southern Arizona district is one under which projects are operating on Sabino Canyon road, from Tucson to the canyon, a distance of approximately 14 miles. Oiling is provided for in allotments which total $158,000.

Recently placed in operation is a $50,000 project of highway improvement and beautification of state highway 89, between Nogales and Tucson, where approximately 100 men are engaged in widening, drainage and landscaping.

Two road-paving projects in widely separated points in southern Arizona are using a paving method attracting favorable comment from supervising engineers.

Almost on the Mexican border, between Warren and Naco, south of Bisbee, workers are pouring a cold pre-mix of emulsified asphalt, sand, gravel and rock. Mixed in a single cement mixer, on the job, and thinned with water to such a degree that the mixture is being "puddled" with a long tamper, as shown in the illustration, the mixture is being laid at a rate of 400 feet a day. Addition of a second mixer to the equipment is expected to double the speed of the paving.

Easily accessible materials make the method an economical one. Estimated cost of the 12 miles of paving, from Bisbee outskirts to the border town, is $71,600.

In Clifton, mountain mining town farther north, the same method is varied with the use of a dry mixture, being rolled into place with a light hand roller, in accordance with climatic conditions which do not permit quick evaporation of moisture, and with freezing tempera-tures.

Road paving between Douglas and the municipal airport is being done with a soil stabilization and one-half-inch armour coat, at an estimated cost of $13,000.

Street improvement projects are under way in Nogales, Bisbee, Willcox, Supe-rior and Clifton.

Improvement of county roads has begun near Duncan, with an allotment of $27,000; near Florence, at Ray; and im-provement of the Benson-Dragoon road has been started. The Frontier-Four Bar road, Oracle road, Winkleman-Mammoth, and Kelvin county line roads, are being improved under projects in operation.

Sentinel Peak park roads have been alloted $8,800, and Ajo streets, $8,800.

Northern Arizona has in operation 10 projects of road and highway improvement, many of them in more or less isolated sections. Black Canyon road will receive a great percentage of the funds alloted in the district, with a project proposing expenditure of $54,000 of federal funds in operation near Prescott, and a second, approved for $69,000, working near Bumble Bee.

Construction of a bridge over a wash near Bumble Bee is begun, and smooth-ing and widening of shoulders is well under way. Improvement of state high-way 89, between Prescott and Granite Dells, is also in operation.

County road improvement in Apache county has been alloted $2,000; construc-tion of a bridge near Short Creek, and improvements, are expected to involve expenditure of more than $15,000. Road improvement projects are also under way in Williamson Valley, Skull Valley, and Cornville. A Yavapai county rural road improvement program has been alloted $22,000.

Street improvement is provided under a project alloted $18,300 at Jerome.

Right. No. I-County road improvement, new 20th street ditch looking North; 2Phoenix drainage and shoulder work at Lateral 22; 3-Drillers at work on East Van Buren; 4-Improvement between Washington and McDowell looking North: 5-Cold pre-mix at Clifton; 6-Paving on Okay street, Bisbee: 7-Road improvement at Tolleson; 8-Paving the road to the Douglas airport; 9-Curb and gutter con-struction on East Van Buren, Phoenix: 10-Laying pre-mix on the Warren-Naco road.