, 1923-03-08
WYOMING RATED HIGHLY
BY HIGHWAY OFFICIALS
Vice PRESIDENT OF LINCOLN HIGHWAY ASSOCIATION
SAYS WYOMING MADE SPLENDID PROGRESS
IN 1922 ROAD BUILDING PROGRAM

wyoming has made splendid
progress on her program of Lincoln
Highway work in 1922" is the state-l
ment made by A. +. Bement, vice
president of the Lincoln Highway
Association. in an article written by
him in review OF the work done on
the coa~st-to-coast national highway
now under construction.
In a further mention of the high
way construction in this state. Benz
ent goes on to say: /
"The road IL the most important
in the state and is rapidly nearing
completion. The only serious need
for improvement remaining is on
that section Immediately west of
Green River. This project involves
an entirely new location and a new
bridge. together with an overhead
crossing of the Union Pacific rail-
road. This will be undertaken In
1923 at a cost of $4,000 and when
completed will open the last link in
a trans-Wyoming Lincoln Highway
"a splendid boulevard for 400
miles.
Last year the state completed
"a miles of high grade gravel sur
facing at a cost of ~s135,433.12, and
maintained the entire route across
the state in an excellent condition
at an expense of s77,S6O or an
average of $40 per mile"
According to Bement many in
1913. ridiculed the Missionaries who
foresaw the expenditure of so vast
a sum ms 100000, 900 on the newly
proposed transcontlnental highway.
But even the pioneers of the Lin
coin Highway movement were unable
to foresee the great mount of work
to be done within the next nine
years. Since 1913. highway officials
state there has been expended the
tremendous sum of S47, 900. 900. Two
! thirds OF me transcontinental route
has been completed at an average
cost OF 100000 per mile. Figures
made public by Mr.. Bement shows n
great difference in the cost Of CON
struction in the various states. For
instance:
New Jersey
In 1922 New Jersey built Sc
miles OF Lincoln Highway to the
highest modern OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
ment IL inches thick and 32 feet
wide. An intricate system of under
drains made necessary by the sub
SOL conditions was installed and the
total cost per mile for tho New
Jersey construction was $4,000
wyoming last year constructed "a
miles of gravel surfaced highways
at n cost per mile OF 1861. The
cost per mile including the new con-
struction work and the cost OF up-
Keep for the entire Wyoming portion
OF the highway amounted to S5,Sll.
ltnh
The State OF Utah. Mr.. Bement
states. is completing a very fine
road from the Wyoming line into
Salt Lake City. West of Salt Lake
CITY the state Is doing nothing on
the Lincoln Highway and seems to be
concentrating all of its attention on
n road leading south from the capitol
TO the Arizona line. The only re-
naming barrier to easy and certain
passenger and freight transports be-
tween h two coasts now lies in n
western county in Utah. According
to Bement. hat State is under obIi-
CATION to lend its assistance in the
completing OF the desert link along
the great Lincoln way. The position
or the Lincoln Highway Association
he has stated to be as follows:
desert link in the Lincoln
way, which the Association has been
endeavoring for ten years to open,
Is still at the mercy OF the elements
IL must be remembered that the
SAT- Lake Desert Is not a vast erea.
IL IL put II miles across the narrow
arm traversed by the Lincoln Wav
here was spent the 800 900 con-
but by the Association toward
the construction OF n graded and
travelled Tho ct,,a
which spent the Associations money,
agreed IN 1918 to complete this
route and keep 1t open. II has not
done so ana without maintenance
the expensive work accomplished is
ocing rapidly destroyed by both
traiiic ana the elements. In favor
able weather this link will be open
during 1923. There is no other way
west into Northern California ex-
cept the long detour north around
Great Salt Lake through Brigham
ana Snowville which is extremely
rough.
The state has spent no funds what
ever on the improvement of any
road west from Salt Lake City since
1919. No new construction was ac-
on the Lincoln HIghwa
during 1922. A few thousand dol
was expended on the mainten-
ance OF the road east OF the Capitol"
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania. during the past
year. completed 7.24 miles OF new
construction at a cost OF
$4,000 or an average cost per
mile OF S6O.723.76. The maintenance
on the old macadam for $40 miles in