REPORT ON MAIN HIGHWAYS WORK IN THE DISTRICT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 15, Issue 91, 4 September 1950, Page 5

REPORT ON MAIN HIGHWAYS WORK IN THE DISTRICT

Highways work in the Whakatane district had centred on improving principal State highways and on continuing the dust-elimina-tion programme, stated the annual report of the Main Highways Board, presented in the House of Representatives.

The Galatea quarry was now in production, supplying much-needed concrete aggregate, sealing chips and road metal for the Rotorua area. Work on the Paeroa-Whakatane State Highway had included extensive repairs on a number of timber bridges, of which the Waipapa, 60 feet long, was entirely rebuilt. The new concrete bridge 83ft long, over the Judea Stream was completed and the approaches built. Three ! miles 32 chains of new first-coat sealing were completed at Pongakawa, and 72 chains of two-coat sealing placed near Whakatane to close an unsealed gap near the Whakatane Board Mills. On the Rotorua-Whakatane State Highway, heavy reconstruction between 14 miles and 16 miles had been completed, and ' construction switched to work back over the easier formation from 24 miles 32 chains towards Rotorua. As far as possible a policy of producing a continuous seal was being followed, and a 4-miles length was tar primed in readiness to receive the plant-mix bituminous top course. A gap of 5a- miles between the Tarawera bridge and the Rotorua county boundary had been prepared for sealing. When this was done five miles would remain unsealed between Whakatane and Whakatane county boundary, A length of three miles five chains had been given a maintenance-seal coat. Widening of Highway

On the Whakatane-Gisborne highway, 1-2- miles of wening in " the Waimana Gorge were completed, and a length of 4 miles 40 chains from Taneatua through the Gorge was given a first-seal coat. Only half a mile of the Waimana Gorge now remained unsealed and widening of this was nearly completed. Near Opotiki the 5-mile section between the Waiotahi and Waieka Bridges had been prepared for sealing and 3J- miles of first-coat sealing placed. The second-seal coat was placed on the Waioeka Straight of 4 miles, and in the Opato section of the Waioeka Gorge several floods scours had been restored by building concrete walls, affording wider and straighter pieces of roadway. On the Te Teko-Awakeri via Edgecumbe highway the Whakatane County Council had in hand the reformation of 4 miles between Te Teko and Edgecumbe. Good progress was being made on the new Edgecumbe bridge over the Rangitaiki River. This 600 ft bridge was being constructed to replace a very old wooden bridge originally built as a service bridge during the construction of the railway. On the new bridge the abutments and two spans had been finished and sheet piling was being driven as cofferdams for the centre piers.