The Coolidge examiner., 1945-12-21
CooIidgeMen
Outline Road
Improvements
Committee appears before
Chandler road meeting to
urge high projects. Will
cooperate in plan n in q
statewide road program.

and projects In and near Coolidge
were told Friday at statewide
meeting OF members OF chambers
81 commerce at Chandler Repre-
seuting Coolidge at the meeting
were William r. triton. J. c. Jayne.
Jack Turnbull Lyle Skousen and
Rev Joseph Kamphuis,
Purpose Of the conference was to
integrate road improvement needs
ol the Individual communities OF
the states and 10 set up a long
range program OF plans for better
state roads.
Taking stock OF the road situa-
tion in the Coolidge vicinity the
fye-man committee. headed by
Chairman Jayne. urged improve
melt OF Highway 81. within and
adjacent TO the town limits. The
extension of surfacing OF Coolidge
avenue ont 10 Highway SO Is also
a vital need OF the community ID
was pointed out by Urton. spokes-
man for the group.
Two narrow bridges need widen
ing TO prevent serious bottle
neck. Urton told the conference.
Both the Olberg bridge across the
ella river and the bridge across
the Pinal canal are dangerous traf-
fic hazards
A IL member state group is TO be
named 10 formulate plans for new
highways. These Il men one to a
county. are 10 be elected BY cham
bers OF commerce and interested
citizens representing every com
munity Of their respective counties
A conference Of this group has been
set for February : and al which
time formulated plans for Arizona
highway improvement will be pre-
sented
The Chandler meeting marked
the first time that a roads confer
ence Of this kind has been held H.
Arizona There was complete
agreement among the representa-
tives that now il the time for ac-
tion on the stae road situation and
that each individual community
should take stock Of It's needed road
repairs and Improvements. so that
these may be presented ~ the
February meeting
The statewide committee agreed
By vote Of . 10 Is. 10 accept the
responsibility for finding a way TO
raise funds for highway purposes
Although al present the commit
tee will concentrate on a 1896 road
program II Is looking further ahead.
The organization Is 10 be a per-
manent one. designed 10 carry on
long-range planning. and will be
composed OF a member and an al
ternate each year from each
county.
Chairman L.. l. Baker president
OF the Yuma County Chamber OF
Commerce. emphasized that coun-
ties should list their projects In
order of importance. They should
also consider. he said. improve
ments on highways already built.
as well as new projects. Delegates
were advised by Baker TO decide
now on the best way 10 get an
improved highway system aud
worry later about how TO pay for
IL.
Each city. town. county or cham
ber Of commerce delegate was
given ar opportunity to tell OF the
road needs Of his particular com
munitv. Representative We're
heard from Ajo Bisbee. Bowie.
Buckeye. Casa G~arde. Chandler.
Coolidge. Cochise County. Flagstaif
Greenlee county. Florence. Gilbert.
Glendale. Mesa. Nogalss. Payson
Prescott. Stafford. St Johns.
Springerville. Eagar. Tempe. Tue
son. wickenburg. Winslow. Yuma
and Phoenix.
Pending selection of the l4-man
planning committee. Hugh c. Cru
well. Phoenix chamber roads com
mittee chairman who served as
chairman of the two-day confer
ence. will continue in this capacity.
Among the most urgent OF the
projects discussed were reconstruc-
tion of Highway Sc across northern
Arizona. reconstruction of the
Tucson-Ajo road. and construction
of a wickenburg-Kingman cutoff
10 be known as Highway 90.
Alvin Becker. Springerville. de-
clared paving is needed on the
route from Springerville TO Alpine
and on towards Clifton. J. t. Sex
ton. chairman of the Casa Grande
committee. urged the widening OF
Highway 81 and improvement oil
the connecting link with the Tue
son-Ajo road.
Globes delegates. unable TO at
tend. sent word that Gila county
desires improvement of the Roose-
velt Dam-Payson highway. straight
enin= of Highway II from Globe
to winkelman and improvement OF
Highway 20 at Superior.