Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-16

The Pan-American Motor Highway,
whose route was Swallowed by Col.
Lindbergh and his famous plane. the
Spirit of st. Louis, on the noted flyers
goodwill flight to Latin America. will
be reality before 1885. according to
indication acknowledged by the Pam
American Confederation of Highway
Education, whose roster includes the
names of men outstanding in the his
tory of modern engineering, along with
notables and officials of this country
and the Latin American nations.
| This optimistic outlook Is assured by
the report of a survey committee of the
| federation which has Just completed a
comprehensive investigation of the prof.
| ect by actually travelling every mile OF
the proposed right of way for the Pan
American Motor Highway. journey
covered mostly by automobile. except in
the Central American regions, where
natural obstacles and primitive road
conditions made it imperative to travel
| by foot or in the saddle. Moreover,
the survey committee followed the same
trails through Central America as those
| traversed by the lone Argentinian horse
man who arrived in Washington re-
Gently, completing a horseback journey
from Argentina which required nearly
| two years.
| Repair Work Progresses.
The survey committee found road
| conditions very good in Brazil. Hon.
duras, Venezuela and British Guiana,
with construction and repair projects
progressing rapidly stimulated by the
realization that good roads bring pros
perity and business expansion to the
regions they serve. Furthermore, the
survey committee learned that Mexico
was actively supporting a program OF
good roads constructor and that re.
markable progress along this line was
noted south of Mexico City.
Moreover. good roads stretch out ap'
proximately 300 miles south of Mexico
City. but from that point down through
Central America primitive trails offel
the only means of overland travel, TIT
survey committee disclosed. However
the surveyors learned that the natura
obstacles facing the completion of
motor highway through Central Amer
lea could be overcome easily by modern
engineering skill. Incidentally. 1t is be
lieved that the jungles and swamps o
Central America offer no greater OBJ
stacies than were presented in the con
struction of the famous Tamiami Tral
through the Everglades of Florida.
Report at Rio.
A complete report of the survey, Gov
ering every detail, will be presented for
mally at the Pan-American Congress O
Highways. which will convene at Ri
de Janeiro through June and July
1929. A delegation of road-construc
ton experts of the United States. au
thorized by Congress at its last session
will attend after a preliminary inspec
ton of conditions prevailing in Panama
Colombia and Venezuela.
The American Confederation TO
Highway Education is the outgrowth o
the first Pan-American Highway Com
mission, which in 1924 made an exten
sive study of highways and highwa
transportation during a four-week tou
as guest of the Highway Education
Board of the United States. Moreover
at that time the subject of Pan
; American Motor Highway was consid
cred so important to the future pros
perity of the American hemisphere tina
the project was studied seriously by of
, ficials of the Pan-American Union, tn
Inter-American High Commission AM