Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1927-01-26
SANDHILLS ROAD
OF BENEFIT TO
ENTIRE STATE
Novel Highway Built in
Spite of Many Serious
Natural Obstacles.

Completion of the new highway
route through the sandhills between
Yuma and Imperial Valley, has been
termed by highway experts one of
the best pieces Of highway engineer
ing in the Southwest, if not in the
United States.
For years the sandhills formed an
almost inpenotrable barrier between
California and Arizona, progress
over them being slow and arduous
and dangerous to the lives Of those
who attempted it.
The sandhills extend from north
V st to southeast FOR II distance OF
over 60 miles through Imperial
county and across the border into
Mexico. They are approximately
eight to 10 miles in width and are
composed Of shifting dunes which
are ever on the move.
For this reason construction of q
highway through them was for
many years considered impractical.
Some 10 or IS years ago road
was put through. This consisted of
the famous "'pnk highway, known
and condemned by many in recent
Years, though at one time it was
considered the only feasible means
Q. crossing the sandhills.
With the rapid increase of auto
hobbies and tourists traffic to Cali
fornia, need for better highway
than that offered by the plank road
became apparent and chambers of
commerce i'll Imperial Valley unit
cd with that in Yuma in agitatlhG
for a better highway through The
sandhills.
The California highway commits
sion turned a willin" ear to the
pleas for new road, and sent its
best engineers here over year ago
TO study the problems of highway
construction necessary to be over
come if road was TO be success
fully put through. This preliminary
work occupied considerable time,
but at length the engineers announc-
the sandhills was not only feasible
but economically practical.
Water Discovered
One of the surprises of this pre-
liminary work was the discovery If
water in the midst of the sandhills.
The engineers sank number Of
wells in q valley formed by the
IL y nd NJ
tiful flow of water which solved one
of the biggest problems to be faced
in the construction work.
Contract for the road was let
carly in 1926 and construction was
Immediately started. The work WAS
pushed through the summer months,
Notwithstanding tremendous heat.
The engineers raised the level of
the highway above that of the high
est dunes. The sand was scooped u?
by the aid Of steam shovels, then
wet down, rolled with steam rollers
and prepared for the preliminary
foundation When the sand was
packed sufficiently hard, concrete
was poured in place and on top of
that the pavement was laid. The
shoulders of the highway on either
side of the pavement were oiled
heavily, to prevent the sand from
accommodating on the highway as it
was blown across by the winds.
In September of last year the
highway was completed, and a trip
that was formerly torture to the
motorist is now made i'll ease, COM
fort and absolute safety.
The highway has opened up n
new scenic route in California and
many autoists are attracted hithcr
by the novel and unique sight of
these sand dunes.
Completion of the highway form
ed an important link in number
OF transcontinental highways and
the eastern tourists are rapidly be
coming acquainted with the advan
tages of this all-ycar southern
entrance to California.
FL Centre has shared in the bcnC.
fits derived from this ";c"e of high
way construction, and will continue
% share in it as the volume of tour
vt traffic increases.
Road builders in all parts Of the
country have sent their congratu-
lations to the California Highway
Commission for its daring and orig
ilality, in refusing to be batflcd by
what was termed the "toughcst
piece Of highway construction in
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