A location survey of the Columbia River Highway was made by the State Highway Department during 1918. Beginning at the John Day River near its mouth the line follows up the Columbia River paralleling the O.-W. R. & N. Railway and ends at Arlington. The total length of the survey is twenty-three and ninety-six one-hundredths miles. The plans for the eight and sixty-eight one-hundredths miles section from Arlington to Blalock have been completed but there are revisions to be made in the remainder of the line owing to right-of-way encroachments upon the railroad property. This survey was made under the direction of C. A. Harrington and B. H. McNamee, locating engineers for the State Department. GRANT COUNTY Grant County lies in the mountainous section of the State and its limits on three sides, north, east and south follow water sheds. The general slope of the lands and direction of the drainage is toward the west but even here the country is of such rugged character that no natural passageways are found to relieve the isolated condition. The roads in all directions are very rough and of little economic value to the County. The narrow gauge railway leading from Baker to Prairie City serves the whole County for both passenger and freight traffic. It is readily seen that the call for improved roads for these settlements is an urgent one. To meet the demands for transportation facilities the County has made a very creditable showing towards financing highway improvements. In November 1916 a bond issue was voted providing $140,000.00. The mileage is so great however, and the construction so heavy and expensive, that County funds available for permanent work are altogether inadequate. Grant County was among the first to apply for State and Federal aid and its call did not go unheeded. The State Highway Commission drew heavily upon its first apportionments of Post Road Funds in order to provide a connecting road between Spray and Dayville through the Big Basin and Picture Gorge. The co-operative plans provide also for the improvement of the John Day-Prairie City sections. Two sections of the John Day Highway in this County aggregating thirty-one and thirty-one hundredths miles in length have been definitely established by location surveys, an additional location is to be made in the near future. In November the State Highway Commission received bids for the grading and macadamizing of that section of the John Day Highway between Hall Hill and Prairie City. The cost of this work is to be defrayed by State and Government funds in equal amounts.