The Coconino sun., 1925-12-04

OHu6T LHS dDoV0 CdpLlOH III the NC
tober number of the Arizona High.
ways magazine published by the state
highway department, State Engineer
w. C. Lefebvre tells some interesting
facts concerning the main big high
ways, much of which is particularly
interesting to those living along the
National Old Trails highway.
He says in part:
That the problem of selection of
these arteries of travel was very diff
ficult in certain places. One of the
questions that came up, that in which
Arizona was vitally concerned, was
whether the National Old Trails con-
nection from Holbrook to Gallup or
the connection from Holbrook to
Springerville should be selected as
the arterial highway through north
ern Arizona. New Mexico's popula-
ton and resources and consequently
the development of their highways
through their state had been along
the Santa Fe, while AIizona's popu-
lation and resources lay mostly along
the Holbrook-S -Springeville highway.
This problem was finally solved, aft
er a great deal of discussion, at the
Washington conference, by designat-
ing both highways as arterial high
ways.
The other roads through Arizona
that were selected as arterial high
ways were: from Yuma through
Phoenix, Tucson, Douglas to Lords
burg, N. M. Another route is from
Phoenix through Globe, Stafford, Dun
can to Lordsburg. Also there is Old
Trails highway from Needles through
Flagstaff to Holbrook. The north and
south route selected was from No
gales through Tucson, Phoenix, Flag
staff, Lees Ferry to Kanab, Utah.
The next connection is that most
important connection with Utah. Den
yer is probably one the greatest mec-
cas- for tourists in the west today.
Traffic from the vicinity of Denver
comes west, going through Salt Lake
City and there diverging, one route
going down the Arrowhead Trail in a
southwesterly direction through Cedar
City, just touching the northwest
corner of our state, and thence to its
convergence with the National Old
Trails at point just west of Needles
and thence to Los Angeles, and south
ern California
The other route is from Salt Lake
City westerly through Reno to Sacra-
nento,. San Francisco and northern
California. Probably one, if not the
greatest playground in America to-
day is that section around Zion ma
Drnlyac
Canyon, Kaibab national forest of
Arizona, the north and south rim of
the Grand Canyon and the cliff
near Flagstaff. At the
present time the seven per cent sys-
tenn of Utah, to which we must even
tually connect our seven per cent
system, stretches south from Salt
Lake City in two parallel lines, one
down the Arrowhead Trail, and the
other down the Sewer River valley
and ending at Kanab, Utah, which is
just north of the Utah-Arizona
boundary. To give some idea of the
of the highway down the
Sewer River valley, l will state that
for ninety miles south of Salt Lake
City there is an 18-foot paved high
way of standard construction, and
large part of the remainder of this
route is of high type of construction.
The portion through the forests on
the south end is up to bureau of pub
lie road standards. In 1922 the bu-
reau of public roads approved leg
Of the seven per cent system which
would stretch from Cedar City
through Zion national park to point
ON the seven per cent system north
Of Kanab. On account of the heavy
involved it did not seem
FOR a long time, that there was much
nope of getting this leg of the seven
per cent system constructed, as it
involved the construction of tunnel
which will be between 1000 to 1900
feet in length, but recently the ma
.ional park service, the state of Utah
and the bureau of public roads ar
rived at an agreement and plans are
now under preparation and surveys
are being made in the field and next
year the work will probably start.
mention this project because it is of
particular interest to Arizona. The
Union Pacific railway is now bringing
by rail into Cedar City,
where there is a first class hotel, and
hey are taken from there by stage
through Zion Park, Cedar Brakes and
3ryce Canyon and through the won
lerful Kaibab forest to the north rim
# the Grand Canyon.
1t is of the utmost Importance to
Arizona that we have a connection
between our system of roads and the |
ystem of roads in Utah. The only |