The daily sentinel., 1910-07-27
STATE HIGHWAY
COMMISSIONERS
FAVOR JUNCTION ROAD

Denver. July 2T.-Although the
members OF the state highway com
mission report some of the roads on
the western slope and in southern
Colorado In wretched condition. the
fact that they made 1900 miles in Is
days. an average of 100 miles per day,
is good showing for the states
highways.
The report of the committee is Just
out, and the most encouraging fea-
lures of il is the position of the
county organizations of that part of
Colorado. which are willing to spend
money and cooperate in the work of
road improvement.
On the other side of Buena Vista
to Twin Lakes the road was found to
be broken and swampy. From Twin
Lakes to Leadville the road was like
a boulevard
The party crossed the continental
divide at Tennessee pass. From Lead
vile to the pass the road was excel
lent, except for a stretch of 400 feet
that could be repaired for an outlay
of $1,000.
The roads in Eagle county were
good except for a few miles approach
ing Red Cliff. Here the way winds
around the mountains and no care
has been taken to secure the best
grades or reduce the turns The
road shows a number of "hairpin"
curves. and on one of these the party
nearly met with disaster. At the turn
the steep pitch was not reduced at all
and the auto drove headon into the
guardrail of heavy posts and bould-
ers. That protection saved the ma
chine and occupants from pitching
over the mountain side.
Between Minturn and Wolcott
there were stretches of swamp road
due to the break in irrigation fumes
and bitches The road through the
canon of the Grand river, which was
punt by the state some years ago at
cost of 100000 is practically use
less. 1t took the machine four hours
and fifteen minutes to make the trip
OF six miles. This road leads to Glen
wood Springs and should be one of
the picturesque highways of the state
Mesa and Delta county roads need
lot of improvement, and the county
commissioners and commercial or
ganizations of those counties will see
to il that money is raised for the
purpose. A road from DeBeuue to
Palisade is already projected, eigh-
teen miles in length, and this will be
of great value to the farmers of the
western slope. The road from Grand
junction to Delta is also described as
being in bad condition.
The commissioners went through
Montrose, Montczuma, Ouray. San
Juan and La Plata counties. winding
up at Durango, for the first terminus
of the trip. They report that the
county commissioners of San Juan
county are willing to appropriate
100000 for a state road from Du-
range to Silyerton, providing Ouray
and La Plata will do their share
On the return trip the party crossed
the continental divide at Elwood pass
and proceeded down the Alamosa riv-
er to Alamosa, and thence north by
way of Walsenburg and Denver
The following state roads have
been declared by the commission:
From the western boundary of
MonteZuma county through McElmo.
Cortez, Mancos to Durango; from the
southern boundary of La Plata coun-
~ through Durango. Silverton, Red
Mountain, Ouray, Colona to Mont
rose: from Durango through Bay
field, Pagosa Springs. Elwood, Jasper
to AlamOsa; from Grand Junction
through Delta, Olathe to Montrose:
from Grand Junction through De-
Beque, Rifle, New Castle, Glenwood
Springs, Dotsero, Eagle, Red Cliff,
Minturn to Leadville.