=. r y a~ c ~, x'111 1 1 Official Journal of the ~ivisi~n of kiighways, Department of Public Wor~CS, Stake of California RICHARD WINN, Editor HELEN HALSTED, Assistant Editor STEWART MITCHELL, Assistant Editor MERRITT R. NICKERSON, Chief Photographer Vo1.36 I~lovember-December, 1957 i~9os.17-12 From above downtown Los Angeles, aerial camera looks north along Harbor Freeway and the many crossing bridges. Four-level structure called "hub of Los Angeles' metropolitan freeway system" is in center. —Photo by Merritt R. Nickerson BACK COVER Aerial view from above northern city limits of Los Angeles, looking south along Golden State Freeway, 7rafFic interehange at junction of US 6 and US 99 is in foreground, San Fernando ~~ailey in background, —Photo by Merritt R. Nickerson cable of Canients on Page 2 Published in fhe interest of highH~ay development in California. Editors of newspapers and ethers are invited fo use matter contained herein and to request photographs 4r engravings. Address communications to CALIFORNIA HIGHWAYS AND PUBLIC WORKS P. O. Box 1499 SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA .. Highway Commission 1•~ ~• Sets 1958-59 Figures This general story on the Budget ° ~ is supple~zented by other de- Mils appearing on pages 43 to Sl. ~ ~~ I 0~ 1 50 percent statutory reduction in the 750,000; and buildings and plants, f xE caLiFOxNia Highway Commis- gross receipts levy on "for-hire" car- $14,500,000 (including construction of sion submitted to Governor Goodwin riers). maintenance facilities and shops J. Knight in November a State High- Federal aid for state highways, in- throughout the state and district office ~vay Budget totaling $483,571,763 for cluding interstate routes, shows an in- annexes in San Francisco, San Bernar- the 1958-59 Fiscal Year. crease of nearly $20,000,000 over the dino,San Diego, Redding and Bishop). The budget contains $435,525,268 previous year, with an apportionment Nonstate Highway Items for all state highway functions, includ- of $153,647,762 for 1958-59. In addi- ing approximately $338,000,000 for tion, $9,762,001 has been apportioned The nonstate highway items in the highway construction purposes. All of by the Ue S. Government for federal budget include, in addition to the California's 58 counties share in the aid secondary roads in California, of grade crossing funds and the federal budget. which $9,615,571 will be available for funds for county roads on the federal The construction items include: expenditure on county roads. The aid secondary system: major construction and improvement 1957 Legislature increased from 87 %z Major city streets (five-eights cent (contracts plus construction engineer percent to 98 %Z percent the counties' per gallon of the gasoline tax), $31,- ing), $221,829,000; rights of way,- . share of the federal aid secondary 142,000; city engineering work, $l,- $103,342,268; contingencies (normally money apportioned to California, as 200,000; and state funds to counties allocated later for construction pur- well as increasing from a maximum of for use in matching federal funds an poses), $6,000,000; resurfacing pro- $100,000 to $200,000 per county an- federal aid secondary projects, $6,- gram, $5,000,000; minor improve- nually the state funds available to 002,924. ments, $800,000. counties for use in matching federal State Highway Engineer G. T. Mc- for comparison, the current 1957-58 aid. Coy informed the commission that State Highway Budget as adopted in Effect of New Laws plans, specifications and right-of-way October, 1456, contained a total of As a result of statutes enacted by acquisition had already been com- $464,000,000 of which $421,000,000 the 1957 Legislature, the 1958-59 pleted on some of the projects in- was for state highway functions, in- Highway Budget contains two new cluded in the 1958-59 Budget, and cluding approximately $350,000,000 expenditure categories, it was pointed that these projects could be adver- for construction purposes (including out by State Director of Public Works tised for bids beginning within the rights of way). Frank B. Durkee, chairman of the next few weeks. commission. State law permits the awarding of Major Revenue Sources These items include $5,000,000 ear- state highway contracts as early as Major sources of estineated state- marked for state matching of the January 1st, six months before the collected revenue in the 1958-59 State funds to be provided by cities and start of the fiscal year. This provision Highway Budget include: $230,771,- counties for elimination of railroad enables the Division of Highways to 000 from gasoline taxes (up $13,000,- grade crossings on local streets and make maximum use of favorable con- 000 from the previous year's estimate); roads (not state highways); and $2,- struction weather, which means earlier $59,169,000 from motor vehicle fees 000,000 for maintenance of San Fran- opening of road improvements to (down $9,000,000 from the previous cisco Bay area state-owned toll bridges. traffic. year's estimate partly because of in- Proposed expenditures for state Twa-year Fenancing creased budgets of the California highway purposes in the 1958-59 Fis- For the first time, the 1953-59 Highway Patrol and Department of cal Year, in addition to the $338,000,- Budget contains items which are only Motor Vehicles); which are financed 000for construction and rights-of-way partly financed in a single fiscal year. by highway user taxes; use fuel include: maintenance,$32,500,000; pre- Durkee explained that some con- (diesel) taxes, $19,000,000 (slightly up liminaryengineering (planning and de- struction contracts are so large and from previous year); and $9,936,000 sign), $30,500,000; statewide highway complex that they regaire consider- from transportation taxes (down $6,- planning survey, $3,000,000; adminis- ably more than a year to complete. 500,000 from previous year due to a tration, $9,300,000; honor camps, $1,- In some of these instances, the new BUDGET budget contains only the amount which will be needed during the first fiscal year, with the balance of the project to be financed in the succeed- Public Works Building ing (1959-60) fiscal year. This pro- Twelfth and N Streets cedure is provided for by legislation Sacramento enacted in 1957. The construction contract awarded in such cases will be for the entire project, however. This method, Durkee pointed out, will avoid the tying up of large amounts of highway funds in a single r=' budget item where the expenditure f ~; will extend over a considerably longer period than one year, and therefore permits the inclusion of more projects in the budget than would otherwise be the case. For example, the 1958-59 Budget in- cludes a four-mile eight-lane freeway project on the Ventura Freeway (US 101) in the San Fernando Valley for which a total construction expendi- Page ture of $11,100,000 is estimated. Only Budget Nears Half Billion--------------------------------------------------------- 1 $6,248,000 of this amount is financed U. S. Congress --------- -- ------------------ -------------- ----- - -- 3 in the 1958-59 Budget, however. Planand Design.------------------ --------------------------- - ------------------ 5 8y E. G. Hanson, AssistanT District Engineer Landscaping Projects KernCounty ---- ------------------ ---- ------------ ----- -------- -- ------- 11 The budget contain 32 projects of a By Clinton D. Beery, Office Engineer, Kern County DeparimenT of Highways and Bridges landscaping nature, totaling an esti- Sierra Progress _---_-__-_- _-__--_--_-_----__- 13 mated $3,180,000. Most of these proj- By P. R. Lowden, Assistant DisTrici Engineer ects provide for roadside planting on Apportionment -------------------- -------- --------------- -- --- ----------- 19 recently completed sections of free- BarrierBreaking ---------------------- ------------------------ ---- ------------ ---- 20 way. By C. A. Maghetti, Secretary, California Highway Commission "The 1958-59 highway budget," Fresno Freeway -- -- --------------------------------------------- - ------------- - - - -- 23 Durkee said, "represents one more Editor Retires ------------------------ ---- -- -- ---------- - -- ---------- - ---- 25 step in a continuing, carefully planned and co-ordinated effort to meet the Twenty-five-year Awards 26 ----- - - ------------------- -------------- --------- tremendous traffic needs of a grow- NowMultilane --------- - ---------------------------------- -- -------------------- 27 ing state. By L. A. WeymouTh, District Engineer "It is of course impossible," he LegalOpinion ------- ---------------------------- ----------- ------------------ - - 28 By Robert F. Carlson, AtTOrney, Division of Contracts and RighTS-of-way added, "to include every needed proj- ect in a single budget. Many projects Freeway Approach to Bridge Opened in Marin County._ 29 with a high local and statewide priar- NewSubdivisions ------------------------------------------- ---------------- ----- 30 ity, in terms of relief from congestion A. Legarra, Planning Engineer By J. and hazard, have had to be deferred State's- Highways - ----- ---- - -- ---- ------------- 32 by the commission for future alloca- By Frank B. Durkee, State DirecTor of Public Works tion of funds. The commission's goa] Operations and Activities of Materials and Research Department_______ 34 in adopting each successive budget is By John L, Beaton, Supervising Highway Engineer to distribute construction and right- Trans-Sierra 43 ---- --------------------- ------------------------------ ------------ of-way funds, in line with geographi- Mailbag