Arizona republican., 1921-06-06
? PAVEDH DH|GHWAY' VALLEY T0. COAST POSSIBLE
California Makes Appro- priation To Build Ell Gen.. tro- Yuma Stretch-Pla
 For Other Links Under

Possibilities of paved highway to connect Phoenix with Southern Cali fornia and coast points were out lined last night by Col. w A. Glass ford of the chamber of commerce good roads committee and a genuine good roads enthusiast.
 Encouragement to believe that such highway may be realized within the near future was given last Sat urday when Governor Stephens of California signed a bill appropriat- ing $35e.000 for the construction of a highway from Fl Centre, Califor- mia. to Yuma, Ariz. To meet this first California paved road to touch Yuma to Phoenix via Buckeye Paw ing Of the road from Phoenix to Buckeye is already under way and State Engineer Maddox has recom- mended that the road from Buckeye 10 Gila Bend and south along the Gi1a river be paved.
 With the exception of two short stretches. the highway from Yuma to Welton is now paved. In view of the action taken by the state of Cali fornia it is very probable that the links in Arizona will soon be paved. Commenting upon the Fl Centro- I uikld AtiStlWdy, sGOiOneI lxldSSkOIu said that the San Diego chamber of commerce with many public spirited
 men of the California city, recently
 paid a visit to Yuma to confer with the chamber Of commerce of that place as to the practicability of building the road from Yuma to Fl iCentro either over or around the ridge of sand hills that intervene west Of Yuma The California dele gation promised to send engineers to determine whether the route over the sand hills or the one around them was the most practical
 The sand hill ridge is less than 30 miles across, or almost half the dis tance from Yuma to Fl Centro
 Colonel Glassford pointed out that
 several years ago a plank road was l made across this stretch of sand but it was not we'll maintained and
 finally fell into disuse. It followed an electric power line across the sand dunes. One route around the sand hills follows the Southern Pa
 cific railroad to Niland- This route
 is about 70 miles in length. It has I the advantage of paralleling the rail
 road lines and its series of water 1 ing places.
 From Niland one can 20 by Braw. l ley to San Diego or Los Angeles The San Diego road passes through l the Imperial Valley to Fl Centre
 B miles from which there is a pavet
 road to the mountains and a very
 line gravel road over mesa anc
 the mountains into San Diego.
 The connecting up of Yuma witf the splendid highway system in Cal ifornia is most important to Ari-
 zona, and particularly to its capita city. in the opinion of Colonel Glass
 ford, who points out that it crosse
 the Colorado river on an excellen
 bridge. which eliminates danger, l. common to ferry crossings. Thi route will carry the motorist throuRl l; the grain and cotton fields of tn , Salt River valley into the GiIa Ben. : district and along the Gila river wit It's scattering of fields and orchard | into the Laguna dam district. The the crossing Is made into the I'm
 perial Valley of California. Through
 out the trip there is a show Of na
 lures wonders and mans enterprise
 that attracts every traveller.