Page:California Highways and Public Works Journal Vols 8-9.djvu/15



DECISION to relocate a section of the Ridge Route on the state highway between Los Angeles and Bakersfield, which has reached its maximum economic travel capacity, and which has proved excessively hazardous to travel, was announced by the California Highway Commission at its December meeting. Bids will be asked within the next few weeks on the first section of the relocated highway.

The decision to relocate the highway was reached after exhaustive studies by the Department of Public Works, showing that the traffic load on the present location was costly of maintenance and operation; that the accident record on it was excessively high; that it fails to meet the traffic requirements of the present; and that these conditions could not be remedied by further expenditures on the same location.

ALIGNMENT UNSURPASSED

The new highway will be built to modern standards of construction with low maintenance cost and capable of meeting present and future traffic requirements. Engineers of the Department of Public Works state that its alignment for mountain construction will be unsurpassed by any in the United States. This remarkable character of the new alignment is evidenced by the fact that it will have a total of 7500 degrees of curvature against a total of 35,140 degrees on the present route.

While the capacity of the present road is overstressed by 1500 vehicles daily, due to its numerous grades, its almost continuous and sharp curvature, the large volume of slow moving heavy hauling traffic that uses it, the new road will have a safe and comfortable capacity of 12,000 or more a day, and its alignment standard will be such that when traffic justifies increased width it can be done without distorting that standard.

Engineers of the Department of Public Works report that the new route by reason of its lesser distance, better grades and alignment and the greater ease and facility that it affords travel, will pay the total cost of construction in three years time.

PROVIDES SAFE ROADWAY

An important factor in determining upon relocation at the present time was the excessively high percentage of accidents on the Ridge Route, due to alignment and an over-stressed travel condition. In addition to remedying these faults, the new location will be free from much of the fog, sleet and snow with which present routing contends. It lies in average lower and more protected position.