IMPORTANT TRAVEL ROUTES DEVELOPING THAT AFFECT SAN ANTONIO AND THE MIDLAND OLD SPANISH TRAIL COUNTRY
WASHINGTON j
/AUSTIN
SAWAMTOWIO
TIIE OLD SPANISH TRAIL—U. S. 00 IN THE EAST, U. S. 80 IN THE WEST
MONTGOMERY j| SAVANNAH MOBILE
NEW ORLEANS
STAUGUSTiwe
OLD SPANISH TRAIL PAVEMENT EASTWARD
Louisiana’s decision to pave the 300 miles of the OLD SPANISH TRAIL across that. State removes the last big barrier to a paved road from San Antonio to New York and from San Antonio to the Florida East Coast. San Antonio to St. Augustine is two-thirds paved now. The connection to Washington and New York through Mobile and Atlanta will apparently be all paved by the end of 1929 except in Alabama, and Alabama will have an improved graveled highway. Other primary highways are rapidly developing from the North down to the Old Spanish Trail.
The Old Spanish Trail program begun in .1915 to make the Gulf of Mexico country a favored land for American travel the year round is now largely completed and the remaining sectors are on the official program for prompt completion.
THE BROADWAY OF AMERICA
Iu competition with this movement to turn travel south to the Gulf States is the route from Washington through Memphis, Dallas and El Paso to Sail Diego. This is the old traveled highway between the Northeast, and Southern California. It is now called THE BROADWAY OF AMERICA. April, 192S, the Californians and westerners went into Memphis with a motorcade of 135 cars. At Memphis they voted $50,000 to popularize the route. April. 1929, a motorcade is scheduled to go to Hot Springs, Arkansas. This is one of the western movements to keep travel moving to California but by next winter the quickest and most pleasant driving time will be by the Old Spanish Trail. When (ravel realizes it can quickly get down into the sunshine in winter then find comforts all the way from Florida to California tens of thousands who now’ stay home in winter will head for the sunshine belt and a period of winter comfort and relaxation—this is the belief of southern leaders.
UNITED STATES HIGHWAY 80
The route from Savannah through Montgomery, Jackson. Shreveport and Dallas to San Diego is UNITED STATES HIGHWAY 80. This is the route that for many years wras believed the best located for the primary southern transcontinental artery. Its cost would have been half the cost of the
Old Spanish Trail. It is the shortest route and is well located for distributing national travel In all directions. It was the logic of this route we had to overcome by that Washington work in 1922 and have had to offset ever since by concentrat ing appropriations to build the Old Spanish Trail.
CONNECTING WITH U. S. 80
Notice the road from the Old Spanish Trail west through Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Dallas to El Paso. This is the route many interests in Louisiana would like to make the preferred cross-country route. More tourist travel goes tlmr way today than by the Old Spanish Trail. It is about SO miles farther by Dallas than by San Antonio but it is claimed travel that way can make quicker time. Now the Old Spanish Trail paving program across Louisiana is financed and tins southern route w’ill become the better way.
ELIMINATING 30 MILES FROM THE SPANISH TRAIL
The dotted line across the bottom of the loop east of New Orleans is the route the Old Spanish Trail will now take, cutting out 20 miles. The other work across Louisiana will take out 10 or more additional miles. The big loop east of New Orleans was completed November, 192G—the change to shorten the distance has been effected in two years’ time. .
THE COLONIAL HIGHWAY
The route from Washington through Charlotte, Atlanta and Montgomery to Mobile, sometimes called the COLONIAL HIGHWAY, is the short route two-thirds paved that is planned to turn people to the Gulf of Mexico country ami to South Texas. The distance between Washington and San Diego by Mobile and San Antonio will be about 130 miles more when all work is completed: the winter driving time will he quicker. The easthern Old Spanish Trail country is now attractive for national travel.
UNITED STATES HIGHWAY 11
The route through Roanoke, Chattanooga, Meridian to New Orleans is UNITED STATES HIGHWAY 11 from the Canadian border to New Orleans. It will soon be a well-developed route southwestward.