COST TO BUILD HARBOUR AT WHAKATANE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 16, Issue 15, 3 November 1950, Page 4

COST TO BUILD HARBOUR AT WHAKATANE

The Whakatane breakwater layout accompanying the report from the consulting engineers, Messrs Vickerman anti Lancaster, submitted to the Ministry of Works on June 19 last, was accepted as correctly sited, stated the report submitted to the Bay of Plenty Harbour inquiry yesterday. The total cost of the complete project was estimated at £4,317,000. When the breakwaters were constructed, development was limited to the area enclosed and further development involved heavy capital expenditure in lifting and realigning the breakwater arms or extensions at another site. The cost of constructing breakwaters at Whakatane—s6o,ooo cubic yards of rock and/or concrete—■ could be estimated at £1,500,000. It was probable that at least the aprons would need 30-ton concrete blocks, so that at an average cost, the breakwaters at Whakatane could be put down at £1,500,000. Information indicated that useful stone would need to come seven miles by sea from Whale Island. If that were so, concrete construction would probably be cheaper, adding £500,000 to the estimated cost. Even retaining walls or shore protection would be necessary. These would cost between £20,000 and £30,000. , The report stated to dredge a channel from the entrance to the foot of the wharves, 150 ft wide, to a depth of ,24ft at low water, approximately 240,000 yards would be involved, thus providing the minimum required for a single berth and allowing a clearance of only 100 ft each side of the pier. This would leave twice the amount of dredging still to be done to accommodate three piers, with further deepening to 30ft in the basin and 34ft at the wharves for overseas vessels later. Allowing for depositing in reclamation, the cost of dredging for one pier would be £36,000. For three piers with only one overseas pier the cost would be increased.

It would be preferable that the piers be 800 ft long, to accommodate two inter-colonial vessels on one side.

The 700 ft by 160 ft pier for timber handling was tentatively taken for estimating purposes and the 112,000 square feet at £4 a square foot would cost £448,000. It was necessary to allow for two piers at least to handle timber, pulp and paper from the upper and lower Rangitaiki (243,000 tons), and with local trade it would be urgent to proceed with a third pier. The cost of the work would then be increased by £770,000. Railway extensions from the paper mills to the port at Whakatane (two miles), on the same basis of cost allowed for Mount Maunganui would require the expenditure of £31,000. A river bridge for rail only of 1320 ft in length and 12ft wide would at £4 a square foot cost £64,000. The purchase of the Whakatane Mills-Awakeri private railway (five and a half miles), would add a further £82,000 to the cost.