"النقل الآلي الطرق في بلاد فارس. المجلد ١ - الطرق الرئيسية. ١٩٤٢" [و‎‎١‎٣‎٣] (٤٩٨/٢٧٠)

257
Route VII—Section D— contd.
Shingle or small grade metal up to 3" minimum width
10 '.
Soling as required only where necessary.
ZAHIDAN to BAM, 210 miles.
Mile 1-5 Already being repaired as part of the road
ZAHIDAN to MESHED.
„ 5-80 Requires general repair and more shingling
throughout.
,, 80-106 Requires widening and general repair and
shingling. This portion is only a rough
track over rather broken ground.
,, 106 Nullah crossing requires a causeway, 120
yards.
,, 106-134 This portion is open desert with no road
but vehicles can drive anywhere without
much difficulty. There is a track which
heavy iorries use which is harder than the
remainder. This is very corrugated and
could be repaired.
,, 134-136^ Soft sand. A complete road is required
over this stretch.
„ 136^-152 As for 106-134.
152-156 As for 134-136^
„ 170-210 The road here except for two short patches
is no more than a dusty track over sandy
countiy covered with scrub. It requires
widening, levelling and sl ingling. It also
crosses ten irrigation channels which
should be piped under the road.
(b) The present scale of maintenance is about one man to
every 3 to 4 miles, and should be increased to one and
a half men per mile.
There is no difficulty in getting labour in S. E. Iran
provided the labourers are given food.
7. Suitability for Tracked Vehicles .—Tracked vehicles
should have no difficulty over the loose sand, but as the route
now exists (November 1941) it is not practical for the passage
of an armoured brigade. Provision must first be made for the
passage of the wheeled portion of the brigade over the two sandy
stretches mentioned above.
8. Scope of Movement by Tracks .—No stage of this route
can be covered by moving.throughout on a broad front, because
spurs of low hills or patches of broken country invariably force