Angeles Crest Highway Opened
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~~~ `°'e~~'`:`tea °~" ~ ,~ ''~.~. ~" ~ ~{ ~~.~~~. ~,, . Public Works 8uifding ~all~or~~~. HI hwa s Twelfth and N Streets g ~ Sacramento and Public forks Journal of the Division of Highways, O~cial `t~ Ei;;~, ;~' Department of Public Works, State of California ~." ~!l~! ~i. KENNETH C. ADAMS, Editor HELEN HALSTED, Assistant Editor MERRITT R. NICKERSON, Chief Photographer Voi.3~ November-December Nos.11-12 Poge Angeles Crest Highway Opened, Illustrated ____ ___________________________..______________ 1 By George Langsner, District Engineer Fatalities on California Freeways 1955, Illustrated______________________________________ 1$ Redwood Empire, Illustrated--------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 COVER Improved Methods in Highway Location and Design, Illustrated________________.__ 23 lane Lake on Route 171 By L. L. Funk, Supervising Highway Engineer in Mono County receives first blanket of winter Record Budget ------ ------------ - ----- -- - ------------- _ 31 snow—Photo by Robert Munroe, Phofographie Section, Magazine Street Overpass in Vallejo Is Completed, Illustrated 37 Department of Publie Works, M. R. Nickerson, Chief Southern Crossing, Illustrated---------------------------------------------------------------- 38 Sherwin Grade, Illustrated _______________________________ 39 By 1. R. Jarvis, District Construction Engineer 1956 Annual Traffic Count - --- -- --- -- - -------- --- - -- - - 42 By G. T. McCoy Arcata Project, Illustrated ------__---------.---------------------------------------------------- 44 By E. B. Thomas, Resident Engineer Merit Award Board Winners.------ - -- -- -- - -_ --- - ----- -- db Dust Palliativzs - --- - ---- ---- - -- - -- _ 47 By Berndt Nelson, Assistant Construction Engineer Published in the inierest of highway development in Cali- Old A. C. Pavement, lllustrated--------------------------------- -------------------------------- 49 fornia. Editors of newspapers and others are privileged to By E. G. Bower, Assistant District Engineer use matter contained herein. Cuts will be gladly loaned upon request. 52 Cest Index --- --- ------- - ---- ---- Address communications to Bridge, Illustrated____ _.._ 55 CALIFORNIA HIGHWAYS AND PUBLIC WORKS Anniversary o¢ Bay ----- ------------ --- P. O. Box 1499 By Howard C. Wood, Bridge Engineer California 62 Sacramento, Out of the Mail Bag _-----__--__---.--_--__._ /~('~ ~~(~ Half Century Dream ~C,.~ J of Engineers Realized By GEORGE LANGSNE~, ( `~N~ Disfrict Engineer AFTER NEARLY S IlSIf CCritUIy Of CO- ~vay and U. S. Public Roads repre- operative effort and expenditures to- sentatives. taling some $1U,000,000, the Angeles Crest Highway across the San Gabriel Taken Into State Highway System Mountains has been completed, and The Angeles Crest Highway, as after dedication ceremonies on No- Legislative Route 61, was taken into vember 8, 1956, was opened to pub- the State Highway System in three lic use. parts. The westerly section from The Angeles Crest Highway, having Foothill Boulevard in La Canada to its westerly terminus at the intersec- the Mt. Wilson Road at Red Box Di- tion of Haskell Avenue with Foothill vide was brought into the State High- Boulevard in La Canada, extends east- way System by the Bond Amendment erly for 55 miles to the Big Pines rec- of 1919. The middle section from the reational area in the Angeles National Mt. Wilson Road at Red Box to Pine Forest. Flats became a part of the State High- This new highway saves motorists be- way System by Statutes of 1931. The tween Los Angeles and Big Pines, 42 easterly section from Pine Flats to the miles of travel when compared with the Los Angeles-San Bernardino county best route previously available. It makes line was taken into the State Highway the summer and winter recreational areas System by the Statutes of 1933. of the U. S. Forest Service much more Allocations of state highway funds accessible than formerly. for construction on the Angeles Crest GreaT Cooperative E1Fort Highway were first made in 1929 by California Highway Commission. The inception of the Angeles Crest the In subsequent budgets the commission Highway dates back some 50 years GEORGE LANGSNER funds for this project so that when the people of Southern Califor- provided essential work could go forward. nia began to recognize the need for nia, authorized an expenditure of the former members of the additional access to the recreational $2,200 to the engineering firm headed Among Highway Commission hav- facilities in the Angeles National For- by J. B. Lippincott fora reconnais- California homes in Southern California est. While many organizations and in- sance survey to be used as a basis for ing their maintained, through the dividuals had apart in taking the later location studies for the Angeles who have they so faithfully served the original steps toward consummation, Crest Highway. Ernest E. East, in his years California, a lively interest special mention should be made of the capacity as Chief Engineer of the people of furtherance of the Angeles Crest important parts played by the Pasa- Automobile Club of Southern Cali- in where Philip A. Stanton, dena Board of Trade, the predecessor fornia, and Harold F. Holley, as Highway, Bozzani, Harrison R. Baker, of the present Pasadena Chamber of Assistant Chief Engineer (recently Amerigo as present commissioners Commerce; the U. S. Bureau of Public retired), both made many reconnais- as well Guthrie and Robert E. Mc- Roads, the National Forest Service, sance trips with Lippincott and others James A. and by the Automobile Club of South- dating back as far as 1919. These two Clure. ern California. engineers did much to keep alive pub- Top-level Decisions The first engineering work of rec- lic interest in the Angeles Crest High- In carrying the Angeles Crest High- ord that was done on the Angeles way project until the State Division way project through to final comple- Crest Highway was sponsored and of Highways started the location sur- tion there have been, from time to financed by the Automobile Club of veys in 1928 and initiated construction time, many top-level decisions that Southern California. In 1919, Henry in 1929. Thereafter, East and Holley had to be made by the Sacramento W. Keller, as chairman of the Roads maintained a lively interest in the proj- staff. State Highway Engineer G. T. and Highways Committee of the ect and made frequent trips over the McCov and Director of Public Works Automobile Club of Southern Califor- project consulting with State High- Frank B. Durkee are, and have always been, most enthusiastic in their sup- port of action to advance the Angeles Crest Highway. In order to assist in the prisoner re- habilitation program as provided by laws, the decision was made that as much as possible of the construction on the Angeles Crest Highway be done with prison labor working out of honor camps. Many top-level conferences have been necessary between the Sacra- mento headquarters staff of the State Division of Highways and the State Department of Corrections. Between these two state departments a most cooperative spirit has always existed relative to the many difficult prob- lems that have arisen in connection with the utilization of prison labor for state highway construction on the Angeles Crest Highway. these Men Worked Hard The first camp was first opened under the jurisdiction of the Califor- nia State Prison at San Quentin where J. B. Holohan was then warden. Work continued under wardens Court Smith and Clinton P. Duffy. Through- out the period correctional officer H. A. Hinshaw was in charge of the camp. Working with him were cor- rectional officers George Lessick, James Rodden, S. Knutson, W. Gar- rett, W. Ballard, L. McGinnis, H. Johnson, R. Doggett, H. E. Breakbill, Gus Opitz, A. L. Jewett, John Madi- gan, Bert gothic, Frank Trip, James Ledden, John Butler, Lester Higgins, Ralph Shera, t1. P. Lambdin. Honor camps were closed shortly Looking easterly along Angeles Crest Highway near Dawson's Saddle, showing attractive rock masonry after the United States entered World retaining wall on Ieft War II and reopened in June, 1946, at the direction of Richard A. McGee, Holly Weeks, Walter Stead, John Tis- tween these two groups of highway Director of Institutions. It was then a dale, now retired, Walter Stone, engineers. Generally speaking, the unit of the California Institution for Charles Hamilton, and the late Paul Mate tools care of surveys for the Men at Chino, under Superintendent Brockmeir. ~~esterly section between La Canada Kenyon J. Scudder, and continued Louis W. Baugh is presently in and Red Box, whereas, the U. S. $u_ under Superintendent F. R. Dickson. charge of the camps. reau of Public Roads handled the Chief camp supervisors during the pe- easterly section from Red Box to Big riod were George Winter, no~v field Federal and State Agencies Cooperate Pines. representative of the department; Mal- The location and preliminary engi- In January, 1928, Assistant Engineer colm Harris, now Deputy Director of neering on the Angeles Crest High- J. H. Obermuller, on the staff of Sac- the Department of Alcoholic Bever- way, extending over a period of ramento Headquarters Surveys and age Control; William Beckley and several years, was carried out by per- Plans Department, made a report to Johnnie Breen. Supervisor in charge sonnel of the U. S. Bureau of Public his chief, Fred J. Gramm, Engineer of the opening of the camp was Harry Roads and of the State Division of of Surveys and Plans, in which he out- Hoop. Subsequent supervisors