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Show dian Reservation logically would be parts of this proposed road. The road from Peach Springs through the northwest section of the Indian reservation provides access to fine viewpoints. It could be continued down through the Grand Wash Cliffs to the Pierce Ferry Road and thence west around the White Hills to United States Highway 93. The road northeast from United States Highway 66 to Frasiers Well and Hualpai Hilltop connects with a road which continues to Anita and Arizona State Highway 64. The proposed development area above Granite Park, the high point between Prospect and Mohawk Canyons, and Yumtheska Point in Grand Canyon National Monument could be made accessible by spur roads from this section of the proposed through road. The area north of the river west of Kanab Creek is quite remote and entirely off the beaten paths of tourist travel. Existing roads and trails, for the most part ungraded, are passable only in dry weather. Mount Trumbull, the only settlement in the area, is 49 miles from St. George, Utah, and 81 miles from Fredonia, Ariz., over very poor roads. The boundary of the Lake Mead Recreational Area on the Shivwits Plateau near Mount Dellenbaugh is 82 miles by road from St. George. There is need for an improved road from Fredonia to Tuweap in Toroweap Valley, thence west over the Pine Mountains, through the settlement of Mount Trumbull, and around Poverty Knoll to the head of Hidden Canyon. From this point there are two possibilities. One would be to carry the road down Hidden Canyon through the Grand Wash Cliffs to Pocum Wash and then south down Grand Wash to Pierce Ferry where there would be a ferry connection with the Pierce Ferry Road south of the river. The other possibility would be to connect this east- west road at the west side of Poverty Knoll, with a north- south road running between Bridge Canyon Dam and St. George, Utah. The Pierce Ferry- Hidden Canyon route was originally proposed, primarily for recreational travel between the north rim of Grand Canyon, Fredonia, Pierce Ferry, Kingman, and Hoover Dam, at a time when Pierce Ferry appeared to be the only place where it was physically possible to have a crossing of the Colorado River between Navajo Bridge and Hoover Dam. As it has been proposed to have a highway from United States Highway 66 to and across Bridge Canyon Dam, the continuance of that highway north to St. George is within the realm of possibility. At the present time there are only two existing routes between the populated centers of Utah and Arizona, one by way of Las Vegas, Nev., and Hoover Dam, the other by way of Navajo Bridge. United States Highways 91 and 89 are the two major north- south highways in Utah. Near the Arizona line, United States Highway 91 becomes a southwest- northeast diagonal route to Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and United States Highway 89 swings east many miles to Navajo Bridge and then south to United States Highway 66 near Flagstaff. From United States Highway 66, United States Highway 89 and alternate Arizona State Highway 79 follow indirect courses to Phoenix. The Arizona State Highway Department has plans for a direct diagonal highway from Phoenix to Kingman and Las Vegas. It will be an extension of United States Highway 93 southeast from Kingman through the Big Sandy Valley to Congress Junction. Should the Bridge Canyon Dam be constructed, it is logical that this road would have a branch to Hackberry on United States Highway 66. This would provide a direct route from Phoenix to the Bridge Canyon Dam. The primary consideration in the construction of a road north from Bridge Canyon Dam would be the difficulty and expense of constructing a road from the dam to the rim of the Shivwits Plateau. It appears that it might be possible to follow along the bench of the inner gorge from the dam to Separation Canyon thence up the east side of Separation Canyon and Twin Canyon to the rim west of Mount Dellenbaugh. From there to the divide north of Wolf Hole construction would be comparatively simple. Between the divide and the Virgin River there would be a short stretch of heavy construction. The total length of the road from the dam to St. George would be approximately 105 miles. Should Bridge Canyon Dam be constructed it is recommended that preliminary surveys be made to determine whether such a road connection between United States Highway 66 near Peach Springs, Ariz., and United States Highway 91 near St. George, Utah, is or is not practicable and ultimately desirable. 14a |
