Imperial Valley press., 1921-07-25
TO ASK BIDS
H0LTVIlLE
To YUMA
ROAD.
State Highway Commission
Announces Work Will Be-
gin Soon. Construction to
Mark End of Bitter Fight.

Bids for the construction Of the
Holtville to Yuma state highway are
to be advertised about August and
construction work on this important
link to the east will begin just as soon
as the weather conditions on the desert
will permit.
This large bit Of good news was
made public Sunday by Col. Ed.
Fletcher. the father of the project, on
his return from the north, and the
statement was made on the authority
of A. B. Fletcher, engineer of the state
highway commission: s---s +-s-'e s-.rf-s = :
The Holtville to Yuma road is
part of the state highway system as
mapped out long ago, but it has not
been possible heretofore, owing to
finances, etc. TO get proper eonstruc
tiOn started.
At the last session of the legislature
Assemblyman Frank Beal secured the
passage of an act appropriating $780,
900 for the construction of the 62
miles across the sand dunes : Of the
desert.
Governor Stephens was so impressed
with the Importance of the early COM
pletion of this highway, to a connec-
tion with the Arizona line, that he
signed the bill early in June, and the
money becomes available about Au-
gust l. The Federal government, it
is expected will allot an equal amount
of money toward the construction and
the remainder needed, if any. will come
from the funds raised by the sale of
state highway bonds. The completion
of this link in the state highway sys-
tenn ends probably the most bitter
highway fight in California.
Twelve years ago Messrs. Fred
Jackson. U. S. Grant, William b.
Gross and Col. Ed Fletcher, represent.
ing San Diego, attended a meeting
called by the governor of Arizona for
the purpose of connecting Phoenix and
San Diego with direct highwya, says
the San Diego Union. Col. Fletcher
was elected president of the "San
Diego and Arizona Highway associa-
ton" at that time. and the delegates
pledged themselves to work until
such time as the highway was COM
pleted.
1t was impossible, even by automo-
bile, to go to FL Centre and Yuma at
the time. 1t meant building road for
rs miles through the mountains to the
Imperial county line. The bonds were
voted by San Diego county for that
purpose, and the road constructed to
point near Mountain Springs.
About this time the fight was on to
put the state highway from Los An
geles, via San Bernardino, to FL Cen
tro. San Diego and Ell Centre imme-
6iately got busy. both counties pledg-
ing to build all bridges and furnish
free of cost rights-of to the state.
Fred Jackson, Ed Fletcher, John For
ward Jr., and Rufus Choate raised the
necessary money. 100000, to bui9 the
Mountain Springs grade. The money
was raised by private subscription by
the citizens Of San Diego and donated
to Imperial county. The activities of
Imperial and San Diego counties won
for us the state highway direet, from
San Diego to Ell Centre.
&f The next fight was over the location
of the highway from FL Centric. San
Diego was determined to have the
state highway to the. Arizona line
routed via Holtville and the sand hills
to Yuma. the distance being only 62
miles. The Los Angeles Riverside see
ton, with Brawley, was determined 10
route the highway via Brawley and
Mammoth Wash, following the South
ern Pacific railroad to Yuma. This
would entirely cut San Diego off as
direct transcontinental route. The
opposition claimed it was not feasible
to build road via the sand hills. Col.
Fletcher took charge Of the campaign
to raise the money from Yuma, FL
Centre and San Diego, and 36 carloads
OF lumber were shipped to Imperial