From Trail to Highway

From Trail to Highway. Old Highway 23. , From Trail to Highway , Graded dirt roads grew out of old Native American use trails. These were adequate for foot and horse traffic, as well as for the horse-drawn wagons that followed as this isolated region was settled. The local population enthusiastically promoted and often built these roads in order to establish and maintain access with the outside world, and to promote tourism, which early on was recognized as a potential source of revenue for this scenic region. The Inyo Good Road Club was established in 1910 to promote local highway construction both here and at the State Capitol in Sacramento. , , With the arrival of the 20th Century automobiles began replacing horses and buggies on the local roads. It soon became clear that the old wagon roads were not adequate for automobile traffic, and that building highways was too big an enterprise for small, isolated rural communities. , , In 1909 the State Legislature passed a bond issue of $18,000,000 for the acquisition and construction of a state highway system. Despite its unpopularity with urban California the bond was ratified the following year thanks to overwhelming support from rural voters. , , Prior to 1920 roads in this region were built using locally hired day laborers, unlike the rest of California, where contractors were primarily used. This was considered adequate when it was generally assumed that the roads would not get the kind of traffic they now see, and it was commonly believed that the job of building roads would someday be complete. , , The first local highway building contract was awarded on January 19, 1920 to Chas. B. Solteras for grading US-395 (then SR-23) from Independence to Division Creek. The final cost for both grading and oiling this section of highway was $37,658. In contrast, the Blackrock Four-Lane project, which added two lanes, widened shoulders and rehabilitated existing lanes between Ft. Independence and the Poverty Hills, was completed in July 2007 at a cost of more than $31,000,000. , , Old Highway 23 , On July 6, 1921 contract #309 was awarded to the Nevada Contracting Company to pave 11.66 miles of SR-23, the precursor to US-395, from just north of Big Pine to near Bishop. The winning bid was $126,794. The section of road angling toward the small bridge at the south end of this pullout is part of the original highway. At the far end of the section visible from here the remnant of the original highway crosses the road to Keough's Hot Springs - already a popular resort when the original highway was built. , , The original highway ran along the base of the mountains rather than more directly between Bishop and Big Pine. As highways are upgraded they are often realigned, shortening the distance between major destinations while enhancing the operation of the highway. , , Additional improvements to highways include widening. The original two-lane highway here was fifteen feet wide, adequate for both the speed and volume of traffic when it was constructed. Modern roads have twelve foot wide lanes. On major highways, like US-395, the trend is to separate opposing lanes with medians whenever possible.