Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-14
RlNCON ROAD
WILL BE BOON
TO MOTORISTS
DANGEROUS HIGHWAY WILL BE
IMPROVED
BIG BRIDGES ARE NEEDED IN
THIS SECTION
President Ripley of Santa Re Deeply
Interested in Construction of
a Macadam Thorough
fare

sections of the coast highway will have
been overcome. This is the Casitas
pass, which is part of old Eel Canine
Real-the kings highway-laid out by
the mission padres in the early days
of California. This was the road that
led from mission to mission OF the
more than twenty established by
Father Junipero Sierra and his sue
ccSsors.
The new Rincon road will by no
means result in the closing of the
tortuots read that winds through the
Casitas pass, and such as may wish to
take the trip for the enjoyment of the
unusual beauties that it has to offer
have the privilege to do so. 1t is the
public highway Of Ventura county and
will be maintained as such. The Rim
con road, which it is proposed to first
construct as a private toll road, will
prove a benefit to the autoists who no
longer care to view the grandeur OF
the pass scenery and from points of
which mountain range looms beyond
mountain range. Once this spell of
scenery has worn off the sea level
and safer road will be taken by the
touring class.
Ripley Interested
President Ripley of the Santa Fe is
interested in the Rincon road and Will
be an important IdClOT III ITS uGNNlbp-
ment. Mr.. Ripley passes the winter
and about half the time of each year
at Santa Barbara, and is greatly in
terested in everything that means the
development of that section of the
state. In this Mr.. Ripley is actuated
solely by public spirit, as are Francis
II. JTnderhill, S. P. Calef and other
Santa Barbarans of wealth. 1t can be
said that it is largely due to these
men and other members of the Santa
Barbara Civic league and chamber of
commerce that so much work has been
done on roads in Santa Barbara during
the last year, and much that is still
to be continued.
AS the result of public agitation,
nersistently continued in, the residents
of the city and the farmers Of the
county have commenced to appreciate
that good roads is an asset which is
of the greatest Importance in southern
California, the mecca of the tourist
class. Both to the north and south OF
Santa Barbara much road work mas
been DONE In the past this county
has reaped much undeserved criticism
for the condition of its roads. This
has not been fair for the simple reason
that road building it's entire stretch
of more than 100 miles has been a
problem, financially as we'll as
physically. 1t has meant something TO
these people to carry out road plans
through passes and along mountain
grades.
Is Narrow Stretch
For all practical purposes at the
present time the population of the
county lies between the Santa Ynez
range and the sea, and it is a narrow
stretch This means an unusual pro
rata taxation, especially as the people
have been having the best kind OF
work done.
During the past year Santa Barbara
started work in the GaViota pass to
the north and connecting with work in
the Goleta district, and to the south
has accomplished the important i'm
provement of raising and paving the
road about Booths Point and thence
through Montecito To meet this lat
ter Improvement Carpinteria is this
wear preparing to construct ten miles
of fine road to meet the projected Rim
con road
The Rincon road. when completed,
will overcome an unusual stretch of
highway There is probably not 100
yards of the entire distance of about
ten miles included in the Casitas pass
road that is level and straightaWay.
1t is all pretty much the same as shown
in the illustration, which gives an ap-
proximate idea of the ruggedness of
the region. To attempt speeding over
this course one would be foolhardy,
unless already equipped with some sort
of flying attachment.
But the Rincon road will overcome
all this The road will wind grace
fully along the ocean shore, parallellng
the tracks of the Southern Pacific, and
will be delightful in that it will be
ribbon that ties mountain and sea. At
many places the peaks slope practical
~, -ic dua. that the
natural order of things, and was only
overcome after difficult grading prob
lens had been solved. When the old
conditions are taken into consideration
It is something wonderful that the run
from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara
has been made in less than four hours.
IT was only the daring, however, and
who were willing to risk a spell of
aviation, that took the desperate
chances through the pass.
For Public Highway
Santa Barbara men are going some-
what outside their way to promote the
Rincon road. While this road will be
opened as toll road, it is the purpose
70 turn it over to the commonwealth as
q public highway when the people are
ready to assume the incidental bur-
dens. The entire road lies in Ventura
county and viii undoubtedly in time
be made part or the great state nigh
way, which viii include the entire coast
road from Los Angeles to San Fran
cisco and through the San Joaquin val
lev between the same points.
The good roads movement to the
north of Los Angeles is not confined to
Santa Barbara. There is the same ac-
tivity on in Ventura, and to which the
Rincon road will be of as great i'm
portance as the county to the north
The city of Ventura already has fine
system of paved streets-the petrolithic
and in which new method was
adopted and proved very successful.
When the Rincon road is constructed
there will be required a bridge across
Ventura river. The residents of Santa
Paula have asked and been promised
by the supervisors bridge. The Sat-
icoy farmers want a bridge, so do the
Piru people, and it is believed that
the Ojai valley inhabitants will want
bridge. All of these bridges would
be mammoth steel structures. Ventura
county is one of the wealthiest coun-
ties of the state according to its size
In the past Ventura county has fought
shy of bond issues.
Ask the Cost
The people now realize that all Of the
bridges and improvements cannot be
built in one year by direct taxation.
The question Is now being agitated of
having a preliminary report made to