Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-12-23
GOOD START MADE
ON ROAD SYSTEM
FOR ARIZONA
PetroIithic Construction viii
Make Highways VeritabIe
BouIevards; Fifty Men at
Work on South End,

Especial Correspondence to Morning Journal
Phoenix, Ariz., Dec. IL "a.
Grand, territorial road engineer, mas
returned from Bisbee and Dougla anu
that work on the south END OF
territorial road is now well under
way. Rather, the present work ~
on q branch of the main road, but one
which Is designed eventually 10 De
another main artery, by
main north and south surveyed
line runs from Wilcox almost due
south to Douglas on the Mexican lne,
passing a little to the east OF Blspse.
This arm or branch runs IRON the
main road near Douglas, westerly 70
Bisbee. or will, when 1t Is completed
From Bisbee it is planned to ventu
ally extend it west to Tucson. Just
now there is a greater demand Tor
the section between Bisbee and Doug
las tina for the main north n
south road, and as 1t is a shorter
lob, it has been undertaken first.
Some fifty men were put at work
about the first of the month and the
road is to be Of petrolithic con-
struction. Engineer Grand says II
will be a veritable boulevard when
completed and will be slightly shorter
than the railroad between the two
towns.
Speaking Of the territorial roads in
general, Mr.. Grand say q pretty FAIR
start has been made for a fine sys-
tenn. While few sections of the road
have been fully completed, the work
that has been done is that which
seemed most important and makes
available the use of considerable more
road in its natural condition, even
without being completed into the fine
highway proposed. The money raised
by the authority of the legislature at
its last session is now pretty nearly
all expended, but a fine showing has
been made with 1t and a duplication
Of the amount would show more thar
twice as well for the reason that the
hard jobs had to be attended to first.
For instance, the building or the
Florence and the Verde river bridges.
BY their construction travel is made
possible for a long way each slde,
even without the construction of
the roads. The road from Phoenix
to Florence has not been contracted,
but the main embarrassment to nat
ural wagon travel between Phoenix
and Tucson has been the ella
river crossing. That is now almost
completed work. A good road has
been built by the convicts from the
river to the prison and the bridge
will be finished in a few days.
1t is now finished all except the
dressing up, the placing of the final
tablet and the OPTICAL opening. II
can be crossed all right by travellers
now. Mr.. Grand says the Florence
people are talking of making the for
NAL opening of the bridge a gala oc-
casion, getting up a celebration ana
inviting the world to attend.
A TTnitq0 States standard water
gauge is being placed on the bridge
so people can tell whether there is
any water in the river without get
ting drowned in 1t. Also, Weather
Observer Jesunofsky is preparing to
place various kinds of weather para
phernalia on the bridge so the Flor
ence people can have the kind OF
weather they want. In fact, the bridge
is to be a great public institution Cor
jewellers in those parts. serving Flor
ence as n sort of an information
bureau, almost a city hall n board
of trade combined. And Mr.. Grand is
Just as proud of the bridge az the
Florence people are. He says its a
good piece of work. was built under
his supervision. and he don't care
who knows it.
The material for the Camp Verde
bridge over the Verde river is now
DT1CllGaiiN all On Aht 6AOAANf HhN w
bridge which is to be constructed By
the Missouri Valley Bridge company
should be finished within sixty days.
1t is to be a steel structure. with con-
crete floor. When this bridge Is COM
pleted the next hard piece of work
will be grading the road over what is
known as Mogollon hill. When that
is done, even without any work In in
t%ervening places, one may easily drive
By that route from Prescott TO Flag
staff and the Grand Canyon.
The Prescott-Phoenix road has
been completed for ten miles south
from Prescott and is another piece of
work OF WHICH the engineer is proud.
Work has been stopped for the winter,
but will be resumed again in the
spring. II present plans are carried
out. This is the heaviest o work
that has been done. Thousands OF
dollars worth OF steel drain pipe has
been put In and many culverts con-
structed. Progress was necessarily
slow. but the work Is In 10 stay. IL
has been done with a view 10 per-
manency. II is the road that so
far in n sense leads nowhere, but it
win eventually. for the plan Is to
follow down the divide all the way to
the lowlands north Of the salt River
valley. midway between the historic
Black Canyon and the Walnut Grove
roads While the present completed