Civilization Follows The Highway

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS

PUBLISHED IN THE INTEREST OF GOOD ROADS BY THE

ARIZONA HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT

VOL. V.

SEPTEMBER, 1929

No. 8

ARIZONA STATE HIGHWAY COMMISSION

I. P. McBride, Chairman, Globe

Jas. F. McDonald, Vice-Chairman, Bisbee

Monte Mansfield, Commissioner, Tucson

W. R. Wayland, Commissioner, Phoenix

Samuel R. Trengove, Commissioner, Prescott

M. C. Hankins, Secretary, Phoenix

GENERAL OFFICE

W. W. Lane.

State Highway Engineer

C. C. Small

W. R. Hutchins, Office Engineer

E. M. Whitworth, Vehicle Superintendent

M. H. Hasler, Equipment Engineer

R. A. Hoffman, Bridge Engineer

E. V. Miller, Engineer of Plans

J. S. Mills, Engineer of Estimates

J. P. Dillon Purchasing Agent

Ira W. Wagnon, Right-of-Way Agent

A. H. Lind, Superintendent Stores

R. L. Jones, Chief Accountant

FIELD ENGINEERS R. C. Perkins Construction Engineer Northern District T. S. O'Connell, Construction Engineer, Southern District F. N. Grant, Maintenance Engineer Northern District Percy Jones, Maintenance Engineer, Southern District.

Geo. B. Shaffer, Paving Engineer

VINCENT J. KEATING, EDITOR

Subscription rates, $1.00 per year. Single copy 10 cents Advertising rates furnished on request

Address All Communications to Editor

ARIZONA HIGHWAYS PHOENIX, ARIZONA

ARIZONA HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT

THE HIGHWAY ENGINEER

“God bless the Highway Engineer and the fellows who follow in his path in the construction of roads and bridges that permit you and me to travel from the four corners of these great United States to any metropolitan city, or town or hamlet we desire to reach.

“Words fail me in my desire to pay tribute to the Highway Engineers. A noble profession.” So says “The Observer” writing in a recent issue of The Building and Engineering News of San Francisco. “The Observer” praises the work of the Highway Engineer in California, which praise is applicable as well to the Arizona Highway Engineer. “The Observer” continues: “In paying tribute to the Highway Engineer the writer does not seek to belittle the work of the Highway contractor for his part in making California’s wonderful highway system. The writer pays tribute to the man who “created” the system, not to the man who follows with blueprints, machinery, rock, steel, cement and other materials.

The Highway Engineer goes first. A big city, a barren valley, a mountain or a body of water is before him. He must lay out the line. He must lay out the best route to permit traffic to proceed withspeed andsafety. He must lay out the most economical route, for highways cost money. From his survey figures the road is created on blueprints. Nothing remains but for the contractor to read the prints, assemble materials and equipment and complete the project.

In the past I considered the architect as the great ‘Creator’ on earth. Today we view a vacant lot in the downtown section. Six months from now on that same lot we view a towering skyscraper. From blueprints of the architect the structure was “created” with a quantity of rock, sand, steel, lumber, cement, etc. The architect has his site located, knows the exact amount of money his client desires to put into his structure and proceeds with his ideas to “create.” His “creation” takes effect in a modern office.

The Highway Engineer has the site for his project running through city, town and village and in several counties. His “creation” is perfected out in the great open spaces where the sun is hot, where the wind blows and the snow and rain falls.

God bless the Highway Engineer.”

TO THE ARIZONA ENGINEER.

“I am the road builder.“I construct each link in the almost endless chain that forms the great National Highway System. I plan and carry out the great feats of engineering that makes possible automobile travel from Maine to California, from the Canadian border to the Mexican line “In winter and in summer, in storm and in calm, I build.

“My hours are long and my labors are never ending.

“I face perils and hardships without murmur.

“My work is constructive, never destructive, for although I fell the tall trees and blast out mighty boulders, I build, I always build.

“My identity is lost in my work, but the roads of the state are my monument.

“I am the road builder.” It is common for roads that were built in comparatively few years ago to become dangerous because of the amazing increase in motor travel. Narrow surfaces, overly steep hills and unbanked turns constitute serious problems these days of congested high speed traffic. Progressive states are protecting their own future by building wider roads to care for the still greater tomorrow. It is said on good authority that all highways of importance should be broad enough to carry two lanes of traffic in both directions. In this modern age, civilization follows the highway and the territory with insufficient or poor roads must exist in an undeveloped state

OUR COVER PAGE

Bridal Veil Falls on the Little Colorado River below Cameron. It is one of Arizona’s beauty spots seldom visited, and it ranks with the scenic spots of Yosemite National Park.

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