Bisbee daily review., 1921-06-09
COCHISE COUNTY HAS BEST ROADS
 SAYS ENGINEER
Interesting Information Of Highways Is Furnished By
 County Official

The roads of Cochise county Conn pare favorably with those of any county in the state. Trans-continent-I al travellers declare that for quality and extent and beauty of territory traversed they compare with any on the whole length of tha BorderlandI route.
 The information furnished below regarding the roads was obtained from Sd Smyth, county engineer, Co chise county. He has been in charge of the county's engineering work for the past two years and has made reeord that marks him as highly cap able in his profession. Before assum- ing the dutiessof the county engineer he was for two years in the engineer ing department of the F. P. < s. w. railway the excellence of his judg- ment and the thoroaehness of his work attract 'ng wide attention to his ab lities. He follows modern meth ods. adopts modern facilities as far as app opriations allow. and as will be seen py the record Of progress. he gets results that reflect credit on his ccanty and his department.
 Cocaise county has about 1885 miles CT recorded roads, all Of which arc kept open to traffic It consists of 2e miles O. paved road; 125 Hes of graded and surfaced road; 220 miles of graded. drained roads. with practically all required openings; 270 miles that c¬ be termed graded. yet is Properly maintained and has required bridges. culverts. etc. and in many places bad and low stretches in these roads have been surfaced. The majority of this latter class of road is kept in as sood condition for travel as any Of the better class.
 The maintenance problem encoun tered in keeping the above mileage of roads in good travelling condition. more especially in the rainy season, is large one. and one that requires constant attention
 During tho past few years Cochise county has constructed many miles
  the hardest in the life Of a new road Each rain or snow does it more or less damage. and the repairs that be- come necessary should be made at once, and in a thorough manner. i
 Road Across Dry Lake
 Under the present administration the county has built some fifty-five miles of road. most of which is term cd first-class construction; and parts of which have been surfaced and at cost ranging rom less than $500 per mile to the. extreme of S4700 pery mile across what is known as the Willcox Dry Lake.
 The road across Wilcox Dry Lake. 1-1O miles in length, was regarded and surfaced with eight inches of gravel at the cost mentioned Prior to this time this was known to be in wet weather the worst piece of road in the state of Arizona. but is now conceded to be one of the best and fastest
 Wilcox tc Bowie
 Between Wilcox and Bowie IS miles Of load have been graded and surfaced, parts of same from adjacent borrow pits, at total cost of $250O per mile.
 Leaving Wilcox for Bowie. instead of following sections lines for several miles out of Wilcox, as is the case with the old road. the railroad is fol lowed for the first ten miles out, thereby shortening the distance con, sfderably and improving on the loca- tion and drainage problems encoun- tered. and future maintenance of the road
 Some ten miles out of Wilcox our location of the new road as planned leaves the old road to the south in many places in order to get. on higher ground.
 Between Bowie and San Simon
 Between San Simon and Bowie we have gIaded and surfaced with cal iche from borrow pits adjacent to the work. some six and one-half miles of road, ct cost of about $21OO per mile.
 The Palominas and Cochise-Drag- oon roads, some seven and one-half and ten and one-half miles in length, respectively. were graded at little less than S1OOO per mic. This work has numerous cuts and fills on it, i'm cluding one river crossing. but is mostly surface grade.
 Central highway has been regrad- ed from the Double Adobe school
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