Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 239, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 October 1911 — Where Good Roads Boom [ARTICLE]

Where Good Roads Boom

GOOD road advocates turn their eyes upon the Pacific coast states, where their hobby is reaching a development nowhere else'approximated in the United States. The dream of the Pacific coast is for a macadamized, asphalt surfaced highway from Alaska south to the Panama canal. Tbe realization of the project so far is tbe actual volins; by the state of California of a bond issue of $18,000,000* and by tbe public interest aroused in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, which promises early legislation for the continuation of the California highway. The California project is for a continuous north and south highway of magnificent construction. The work will be" started this summer and under the appropriation between 1,500 and 2,000 miles of road will be constructed. It is the intention to connect all important cities in the state. California counties are in advance of the state ip this work. Los Angeles county leads, and the movement, in fact, started here with an issue July, 1908, of $3,500,000 bonds for county roads. The county has completed 112 miles of what is said to Be h'e finest macadam pavement in the world. Twenty-eight miles of this, in. eluding the Newhall tunnel, ha s been built under engineering difficulties. The total mileage planned is 186. The roads are being graded thirty to forty feet and paved as a rule sixteen feet wide, this being considerably Increased at the turns. The base of the load construction is a layer of rock from five to eight inches in thickness, which is built up ae a water bound macadam road and treated with liquid asphalt sprayed on and into the surface. The supply of rock comes in part from the county quarry at Pacolma, with a capacity qf 1,000 tons daily. County reads to far built come up only to the city boundaries. The cities, however, have in most cases entered intq the county spirit ana have extended their payment to the boundary to connect with' the county road. Private enterprise has also added many fine roads. Notable among these is twenty-six miles of double boulevard built in the San Fernando valley by the Lankershim and Van Nuys ranches. Thii is a n asphalt road on both sides of an electric railway and is up to the standard of the •best county toads. The west claims to lead the whole country in the good roads movement.