Arizona sentinel and Yuma weekly examiner., 1914-05-14
PROMOTING EXTENSIVE
 ROAD IMPROVEMENTS

The California State Highway Com mission is getting down to work, ano if the plans of it and the board of su- pervisors of Imperial county material fze, it will be but a comparatively short time until there is one of the finest paved highways from the Ari- zona state line to that of Oregon, to be found in the entire country, says the Arizona Gazette.
 Information from Col. Ed. Fletcher, pres4uent of the San Diego-Arizona Interstate Auxiliary of the Southern Highway association, is that the mat ter is to be taken up at the next ses- sion of the legislature in California and he believes without doubt that the proper appropriation will be made for the building of the roadway from the Yuma line, via Holtville.
 A few days ago, Chairman N. C. Darling of the state highway commis- sion, Austin B. Fletcher, chief engl, neer; w. Lewis Clark, division engi- neer of the commission, and Col. Eo Fletcher, held conference with the board of supervisors of Imperial coun. ty with the result that the board has gone on record as favoring a concrete road between the Yuma line and San Diego. The president of the state highway commission also favors con crete road from Yuma to Fl Centro via Holtville and he believes that with proper boosting and enthusiasm, tn, Arizonans could secure the building of the highway from Yuma to Phoenix, distance of 200 miles, which wouIC give them a splendid boulevard from this city to San Diego, and from tha city to the Oregon state line, via Los Angeles and San Francisco.
 The sand dunes between Yuma and El Centro have made travel via Holt vile, which is central between the two cities, practically impossible, and when automobile racers have crossed from El Centro to Yuma instead ot making the curve via Glamis, it has been necessary to have teams pull them across the heavy sands. Auto travellers from Phoenix and San Diego have used the curve instead of trying the sand dunes, not only losing con siderable time, but adding many miles to their trip.
 To eliminate this unpleasant part of the roadway between Yuma and Ell Centro, $3,000 has been subscribed for the planking of that portion of the road over the sand Dunes, by the San Diego people, and $3500 has been raised by the Holtville people. When this has been done, travelling will not be shortened, but it will be pleasant the entire way from the Arizona line to San Diego.
 The board of supervisors of Impe- rial county has pledged to include in IhO lCfy VI PHo,OUO, tO puL Iu6 IOdu III good condition from Holtville to the sand dunes, and from Yuma to the sand dunes on the east; Yuma will put the road in first class condition, ex cepting the Indian Reservation, which is to be done by the Indian Depart ment of the United States govern ment.
 If these plans are carried through, and there is every assurance taal they will be when the necessary rec concentration is made to the legisla- ture in the fall, and is approved py that body, it will give a fine concrete boulevard the entire distance from Yuma to the coast, and then it but remains for Arizona to build a high. way from Yuma to Phoenix. The board of supervisors of Maricopa coun- ty are now planning for the construc- tion of highway to the county line and they believe that with the proper boosting, the necessary appropriation can be secured to finish the work to Al,~