IN THE WAKE OF INDUSTRIALIZATION,
1945-1960
285
ern county history. As construction of 1-15 subsequently continued through the county, the west-side controversy was forgotten by most residents. The continued subsidized highway development had another downside for some aspects of transportation in the county. It signalled the final death knell of the Orem Railroad, which stopped running its famous red cars in 1946, as passengers increasingly took advantage of the independence that buses, trucks, and cars offered. Additionally, several railroad depots closed in the county as declining revenues forced companies to consolidate. The Denver 8c Rio Grande Railroad depot in Payson was closed in 1959 despite the protests of the civic leaders at a hearing at the state capitol building in Salt Lake City. By the end of the decade, the inhabitants had effectively voted with their cars and trucks—the transportation future followed the roads and highways. Local c o m m u n i t i e s in the county also upgraded their roads, often in conjunction with local service groups and clubs. Mapleton, like some of the other small communities in the county, had limited improved roads. In 1948 Mapleton had only one mile of oiled road near the center of town. Within four years, with the help of county and state agencies, most of Mapleton's roads were surfaced. Other communities also improved their roads through various means. The Santaquin Civic Club (organized in 1944) helped get a curb and gutter on the town's Main Street in 1946; two years later, the club helped complete a street- and house-numbering project. Street markers were placed at the major intersections in Payson in 1949 by the local Lions Club and the Payson lunior Chamber of Commerce. Other road improvements that were begun at this time not only improved driving conditions but also made the roads and bridges safer. The approach to the lordan River bridge from the Lehi side (Bridge Road) was somewhat tricky but posed no major problems until the 1930s when automobile traffic increased dramatically. Several people then died in accidents at the bridge, which caused concerns for residents. They voiced these worries to the county commission in 1941, but World War II prevented the commission from taking action. Finally, the county commission awarded an $87,000 contract for a new eighty-four-foot steel and concrete bridge in 1947.
