Mermehtau River bridge—length 0.625 ms., including approaches. Advertise for bids October 2, 1923.
Lake Charles to Sabine River, 38 ms. from city limits. Paving and gravel, 26.3 ms. Federal standard road under construction, 8.3 ms. Sabine River marsh, 3.4 ms. long; one mile under construction, 2.4 ms., part of bridge approach.
Sabine River bridge, one mile, engineering preparations proceeding.
Texas Department — 948 Miles
Checked with Highway Department September, 1923.
The Texas Department includes the level plains of East Texas and rolling hill country of middle Texas and the mountains and great plains of West Texas.
Orange to Houston, 115 ms.
Completed 18-ft. federal standard concrete road from Orange westward, 16 ms., and contract let for completing concrete road to Neches River, 5.87 ms., at $53,500 per mile. Bridge over Neches River (Beaumont) to cost $400,000. Concrete road under construction from Beaumont across Jefferson and Liberty counties, average cost $44,800 per mile. When completed, paved road from Sabine River (Orange) westward will total about 87 ms. Gravel and paving into Houston for remaining distance.
Houston to San Antonio, 220 ms.
Gravel and paving with following exceptions:
Fort Bend County, dirt, with Sugarland road district now building 15.1 ms. of 18-ft. concrete pavement.
East of Waelder, 8 ms. of graded dirt.
East of Seguin, 16 ms. federal standard gravel under construction.
Schertz to Converse, 3.4 ms. paved road under construction.
Paving from Converse to San Antonio, about 10 ms., not yet provided for.
San Antonio to El Paso, 593 ms.
West Texas sections now falling behind compared with construction proceeding in other sections.
San Antonio to five miles beyond Junction, 132 ms., federal standard paving and gravel, with graded dirt Boeme-Comfort-Center Point section.
Sutton, Crockett and Pecos counties, dirt.
From Reeves County near Kent to El Paso, 170 ms., federal standard gravel and paving.
El Paso to New Mexico Line, 20 ms.
Paved.
Western Department — 912 Miles
Compiled and checked October, 1923
The Western Department includes the sandy stretches and the continental divide of New Mexico. In Arizona are majestic valleys and mountains; the mine and smelter district of Douglas and Bisbee; the cattle ranges; the great irrigated districts; the old mission centers and trails of the Spaniards. Southern California also includes remarkable desert and mountain country, and the Imperial Valley. This department is 90% complete and being finished now.
(From El Paso to New Mexico line 20 ms. of paved road.)
New Mexico, 199.6 ms.
State line to Deming, 87.8 ms.—concrete paving 21 ms. to Mesilla Park; gravel 7 ms.; 30 ms. of natural gravel road; 30 ms. good gravel highway into Deming.
Deming to Lordsburg, 61.8 ms.—over the prairies at 4,584 ft. elevation, good road, nearly all completed surfaced highway.
Lordsburg to N. M.-Ariz. line, 50 ms.—good gravel highway through valley and Granite Gap.
Arizona, 525.4 ms.
Arizona is now, except for 40 ms. under construction, essentially a standard highway of gravel, asphaltic concrete and cement.
New Mexico line to Douglas, 49.8 ms.—federal standard gravel.
Douglas-Bisbee, 24.6 ms.—concrete road through valley to mountains and copper mines at Bisbee.
Bisbee-Tombstone-Tucson, 105 ms.—mountain and rolling country, easy grades, standard gravel roads and pavement.
Tucson-Phoenix, 137.4 ms.-—all standard highway or pavement. Cacti desert and valley country. Intensive irrigation fanning and semi-tropical fruits and vegetation— oranges, palm dates, etc.
Phoenix to Yuma, 208.6 ms. as follows:
Phoenix-Buckeye, 35.2 ms. paved. Fine agricultural country. Buckeye to Hassayampa River, 9.1 ms. dirt road, good. Hassayampa River to Gillespie Dam, 10.9 ms. under construction. Gillespie Dam to Piedra, 40.1 ms. standard gravel road. Piedra to Aztec, 30.4 ms., contracts let. Aztec to Yuma, 82.9 ms. standard gravel.
Southern California, 187 ms.
Yuma to San Diego the highway is near the border. Paving and standard gravel construction now being completed. The irrigated farms of the Imperial Valley are richer than the Nile lands. Pavement is continuous from the Imperial Valley to San Diego. Wonderful scenic beauty is constant