Imperial Valley press., 1915-02-05
FL CentrO to Reservation via Sand
hills.

S tin B. Fletcher, Highway Engineer,
Sacramento, Cal.-Report of Division
Engineer, Division VII, on a recon-
raissance survey between Ell Centre
and the Arizona border at Yuma,
Ariz.
; Pursuant to instructions contained
: in your letters of October 16, 1914,
and October %, 1914, relative to
reconnaissance survey on the extern
sion of Route II, between San Diego
and Ell Centre, and extending to the
Arizona border in the vicinity of Yu-
ma, Ariz., the following report COW
ors said survey, made November 9,
10 and II, 1914.
Rain of the previous night and
early morning of November had
placed the roads out of FL Centro
in a deplorable condition. The earth
Of all the region between Ell Centro
ard Holtville, as well as to the north
and south, is a deep reddish sedimen-
tary soil, extremely fine when dry
and pulverized, yet making a hard,
firm roadbed when damp and prop
erly worked, but before being ground
into powder. This soil has great alb
sorptive capacity, so that when wet
il expands greatly and with sufficient
power to raise and crack concrete
pavements and walks, and is said to
lift even two-story brick walls. When
wet, the resulting mud is extremely
adhesive, so that on this day teams
as well as automobiles were stalled
in many directions out of Ell Gen.
tro.
All the region is practically flat,
SO that the question OF grades does
not enter into the discussion except
at the crossing of the Alamo river.
A direct straight line can be secured
between Ell Centro and Holtville, and,
according to information furnished by
the supervisors, rights of way along
this proposed line are already Sc
cured. This proposed line is about
three-quarters of a mile north of and
parallel to the line from Seeley to Ell
Centro, and makes but one railroad
crossing of the Southern Pacific rail-
road, and is to the north of and does
not cross the branch railroad known
as the Holton lnterurban, running be-
tween Ell Centro and Holtville.
Any easterly line would have to
cross the Southern Pacific Railroad.
which runs practically north and
south. The present Travelled road
from Ell Centre to Holtville has sew
eral sharp right angle turns, follow
ing the section and ranch lines. also
crossing the Holton Interurban Rail-
road, all { which turns, as we'll as
the railroad crossings, will be elm
mated by the proposed line to the
north.
County Bridges Alamo.
Imperial county is to build a REIN
forced concrete bridge over the Ala
mo river and properly grade the ap-
proaches thereto. The accompany
ing map shows the proposed line be-
tween Ell Centre and HoltviIle. The
distance between the two incorporate
limits is about ten miles. Irrigation
canals run over the country in all
directions, and these canals. being as
rule above the surrounding fields.
are crossed by the various roads by
wooden bridges with short. steep in
elines on each side. Experience has
Taught the water companies that
-hese bridges, with their steep ap-
proaches, may be eliminated and the
roads built without change of grade
~ replacing the bridges with invert-
ed siphons of either reinforced con.
crete or corrugated iron pipe of
proper capacity. Although the wa
Ter is very muddy and laden with
silt which continually fills the irri-
ration bitches, the inverted siphons,
,eing entirely submerged, are kept
lear by the flow, and sedimentation
ioes not occur in them.
The present travelled road in MANY
'ases is below the level of the ad-
accent fields, due undoubtedly to the
'oad dust having been gradually blown
away year after year. In con-
'tructing new road shallow
titches should he dug ON eth
ar side to secure material to
raise the roadbed. The excavation
would be light, probably about 5000
cubic yards per mile, which, at 4Oc
per cubic yard, would cost $1,000 per
nile for grading. A fifteen feet wide
pavement, A inches thick.