The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1922-09-07
VICTORY HIGHWAY NEWS

By the end of 1923, it will be pos
sible to drive over a paved highway
on the line of the Victory Highway
from New York City to the west line
of Saline county, Kansas, 225 miles
west of Kansas City, according to a
statement issued by Ben Blow, man
ager of the Victory Highway Associa-
ton, from the headquarters of the
association in Topeka.
With the Victory Highway com
pletely paved from New York to st.
Louis, Missouri, with the exception of
construction stretches north of Cam
den, New Jersey, and between Indian
apolis and Terre Haute, Indiana, the
route across Missouri from st. Louis
to Kansas City is the only long stretch
not provided for. The stretches in
the east mentioned will be completed
by the fall of 1922.
Work upon the Missouri project has
been delayed to afford an opportunity
for selecting a new and shorter line
The new route tentatively selected
will be shorter by about fifty miles
than any other existing road across
the state Construction work upon
the Missouri section will be practical
ly completed by the end of 1928.
West of Kansas City, the Victory
Highway is under construction to
TonganoXie, Kansas, twenty-eight
miles, and viii be closed during the
entire summer of 1922.
From Tonganoxie to Topeka, forty
two miles, it is all paved except four
miles under construction between
Topeka and Lawrence, which will be
finished by August 31st.
Between Topeka and Salina, in
Saline county, construction work is
being pushed rapidly except in Potta-
watomie and Riley counties, where
work viii begin in 1923.
Upon completion of these stretches,
according to Blow, 1900 miles of
paved road will reach toward San
Francisco from New York-more
pavement by far than possessed by
any other transcontinental highway.
I'm undertaking the development
of the Victory Highway" Blow
states, ''we are devoting our atten-
ton first to closing up gaps in exist
ing stretches of pavement, with the
idea. of getting a completely paved
highway developed as far west as pos
sible from New York.
"At the same time, we have various
other paving projects developing. The
gravelling of the roads in Western
Kansas is the major problem which
confronts us at the present time In
this section, which has as good roads
as can be found anywhere, in dry
weather, the character of the soil is
such that the roads become slippery
and dangerous in rainy weather. They
sometimes become impossible.
''To remedy this condition plans for
travelling the roads of Western Kan
sas are making rapid progress. With
in two years concrete highway, sup
plemented by stretches of gravel
where the local traffic is not sufficient
to justify more expensive type of
roadway, will carry the motorist over
the Victory Highway from New York
to Denver, Colorado"
From Denver west, road improve
ments are proceeding rapidly. Colo
RADIO is spending more than 100000
on the Victory Highway; Nevada has
$1,523,00O available and 100000 in
contracts have already been let in
that state.
''In few years." Blow declares,
cat the present rate of progress it will
be an easy and comfortable trip
across the continent over the Victory
Highway. We are going slowly but
going surely and the close of every
day during the construction period
brings US closer to a real cross coun-
try road"
WHAT A DIFFEPENCEI