AN IMPOSING LIST

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 84, 25 June 1943, Page 8

AN IMPOSING LIST

COUNTY REHABILITATION WORK NEARLY QUARTER MILLION "Though this may seem, a formidable list at first glance, if it is spread over a period of some ten years'* it is not so . bad," said the chairman of the Whakatane County Council, Mr J. L. Burnett, when discussing tlie list of proposed rehabilitation works submitted by the Countj' Engineer, Mr C. H. Brebner. The list which included! the construction of some 24 bridges and the sealing of 47 miles of the main arterial roads inolved an estimated expenditure of £244,000. The chairman went on to say that ■with the Government subsidy which Trould be forthcoming there, should be no need lor any borrowing. He was opjjoscd to a borrowing policy which tied the council down to expensive programmes. If this could be avoided the work could be suspended whenever it was found uneconomic to proceed. All the bridges has been estimated in concrete and the greatest item was the proposed Taneatua bridge which provided access for the Opouriao Valley and had a length of 300 feet and a width of. 24 feet. All the bridges mentioned were due. for renewal and it was very questionable ■as to whether some would out-last ,tlie war. The list submitted by Mr Brebner is as under:— Bridges Total Cost £ Taneatua 10,000 Omeheu 2,680 Omeheu Drain 1,34.0 Omeheu Outfall 2,G00 Awaiti Drain 1,100 Ohope Hill 646 Tununui (Wainui Rd) 400 'Mudflats (Wainui Rd) 720 Mangarne (Onepu Rd) 990 Onepu No. 2 502 Halletts 545 Grieve's (Jackson's) 502 Military Road 497 McCut chan's 780 Powell's 497 Orr's 1,070 Cow's 1.920 Kopeopeo (Eastern Bdry) 1,920 Orini (Eastern Boundary) 1,920 Kopeopeo (Eastern Drain) 780 McLean's (Western Drain) 1,920 Ohope Beach No. 1 (Captains Cabin) 400 Ohope No. 2 (Millers) 600 Soutar's 641 £33,910 Sealing of Arterial Roads Total Miles Cost .Waimana & Ruddieks 3% 12,210 Taneatua-Ruatoki 6 23,720 Railway Road East 8 30,450 Railway Road West (i V 2 34,230 Awakeri-Te Teko 7 27,480 Riverslea-Ota'kiri 4 21,070 East Bank North 5% 28,970 Western Drain 2 9,570 Luxton's & McLean's 4% 22.390 Totals 47 £210,090

Commenting on the list. Mr Brebner stated: An official survey of all County Bridges has been made and the twcnty-I'our enumerated are the ones urgently >in need of replacement. regard to the aerodrome, you will appreciate that until a deUnite, area is chosen it is quite impossible to make an approximate estimate of the cost of providing that necessary adjunct to this district. All sites differ in shape, type of construction required, .soil, drainage, possible road aeess and so on. Should the Tc. Teko plantation area be lin--iilly chosen, it might benccessary to top-dress the area Avitli soil owing to the loose, texture of. the existing surface. This is a matter for :m aerodrome expert to decide, however if the committees so decide I am prepared to give them, an approximate estimate of the cost oj bringing in the Te Teko site to tlu .best of my limited ability. The estimates for sealing Count} Arterial Roads are only approxi mate ones as a true estimate coul only be made after exact tests o aiU road foundations were madi This would be a long process in vo-Iving boring soil tests etc. an should be carried out. before ti» -work is put in hand, however froi. jity- long know'edge of roads "involved the esLmatcs shou.d be gene.-' sjlly correct enough to base tlu scheme upon. After briefly discussing the list