CITY AND PORT

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16154, 7 March 1918, Page 4

CITY AND PORT

CLOSER COMMUNICATION

VARIOUS SCHEMES REPORTED

Mr Cyrus J. R. Williams, engineer to the Lytic I ton Harbour. Board, submitted a lengthy report at yesterday's meeting of the Board, on the various schemes lor improving communication between Christchurch and iti port-. 'J'lio report was the outcome of the, following resolution arrived at. by the Board on September sth., 1917: —

•'That the Board's engineer be intlrucled to report on alternative schemes to eliminate) the recent disabilities of the Ly Helton railway and pi event a renewal of the same.

J lie remedies dealt wttn by Mr V\

Hams in his report were

1. Duplication of tne present tunnel through tne port huis, mipxovou Jayout oi the iiVuteitou railway yuru, and in.pioveiuento to ine L'uri&v.oiiiircii ra-U-

w..y station, gooas sheas, and railway Viad, as piu£KjM.ui m trie report or tne ueiieral .uauager lor Railways dated August Ist, lin-l. i. iiileetniicatiou of the Chris t-churcn-Jjy tteJton iai 1 way. Li. Open cutting through the port hills to provide lor motor ana ordinary road tratne between Cliristchurcli and J>YL.te)toil.

-1. Enlargement of the present tunnel or euparate tunnel for road traffic between cnristchurch and i_,yttolton.

o. -Motor truttic road over ihe hills by way of stunner or other .suitable luute if available.

b. Completely new port on the Christchurcn side ot t-lie port linls situated (a) either near the Hcatlieote bridge, or (b) at some chosen point nearer to Christchureh.

'.file estimated cost of the works in. volved in the duplication of the tuiine was JL'o4o,OUU, and the report stated:

—•••These proposals, if earned out, combined with an exficient, intelligent, aud sympathetic management of the Christchurch-Lyttclton railway line, tvould remove most of the disabilities at present existing. . . But if the Railway Department, in spite of the facilities available owing to the double track, throughout, continued, for the sake of economy, to build up long trains in Lyttelton and to break them up in the Christchurch yard, the benefits would be less apparent.'' .Mr Williams, whilst approving of the proposals outlined by the General Manager of the .Railways, emphasised the necessity for the duplication of the tunnel.

As to the electrification of the Christchurch-Lyttclton railway line, Mr Williams stated that lie was not in a position to give an estimate of the cost; if effected, he did not consider it would eliminate the disabilities. i

As to an open cutting, or tunnel through the hills, the report pointed ■out that consequent on the Railway Department working cargo direct from the ships and on practically the whole of the land between the hills and the wharves being vested in the Department, the construction of the suggested roadway would not make it practicable for motor or other vehicles to approach the ships. He estimated that the cost of the works necessary to givo proper effect to this proposal would be: — £ Tunnel, 2 roads each 20ft wide 573,000 Alteration to wharves ... 4.40,000 Transit sheds, cranes, etc., on wharves ... ... 155,000 1,168,000 Contingencies, 10 per cent. 116,800 Total ... ... 1.284,800 As to a motor traffic road over the hills, the report stated that a traffic road with a clear width of 33ft with a grade of about 1 in 30 could be constructed for about £240,000, but to be of any value in this connexion, the same provision would be necessary at the Lyttelton end as in cases 3 and 4. The- estimate then would be: — £ Road ... ... ... 240,000 Alteration to wharves ... 140,000 Transit sheds, cranes, etc. 155,000 83-5,000 Contingencies, 10 per eent. ... 83,500 Total 918,500 As to a completely new port on the Christchurch side of the hills, the report referred at some length to the

reports by Mr Williams (the Board's engineer) and by Alessrs Coode, Son and Matthews, respecting the proposed canal. Mr Williams's estimate of ' a port on the western part of the estuary was £1,053,684, and at a point near the Linwood railway station at £1,74-3,392. Messrs Coode, iSon and Matthews reported in favour of a port near Linwood at an estimated cost of £1,921,3(30. Mr Williams, in the present report, referred to the finding of

the Canal Commission and expressed the opinion that those proposals did not require further consideration. Effective remedies for the present disabilities were confined to the followiug: — .. (a.) Enlargement or duplication "of the present railway tunnel and other improvements as described in the report of the General Manager of Railways. dated August Ist, 1914, at an estimated cost of £545,()00.

(b) Traffic road to Lyttelton through a tunnel and re-arrangemcnts at Lyttelton so that goods could be delivered from the ships into consignees' vans or vice versa, at an estimated cost of £1,281.800.

(c) Traffic road over the hills and other re-arrangement at Lyttelton as in (b) at,an estimated cost of £918,500. (d) Completely new port in the Hcathcote estuarr at an estimated cost of £1,800,000. (e) Completely new port at Buckley's corner at an estimated cost of £2,377.000.

The report continued :—

"In the case of proposal (a) enlargement of the present tunnel, etc., tho whole cost would fall on the Railway Department, and assuming that the present policy of the Government, that rates per mile throughout the Dominion railway system, shall be practically on a mileage rate throughout, independent of the cost or earning capacity of any particular section of railway, all the advantages of these improvements would accrue to the people of this community without any increased cost.

"Such benefits would certainly be substantial if combined with intelligent and sympathetic management bv the Hallway Dfepartment. hut the effect would not be to take the management of the shipment and landing of goods out of the hands of thai Department, if that is what is desired "In the case of proposal (b), traffic road to Lvttelton, the effect would enable all shipment and landing of goods except that direct to and from the country and from the freezing works, to be taken out of the hands of the Railway Deparment. "The above report is not intend**! to exhaust the subject, bur is merely suggestive. The estimates have beea as carefully taken out as is possible in the absence of surveys and working drawings.. They are on the libemJ side, but contain no provision for payment of interest during the construction of the works. Such additional cost in works of this nature would be about 25 per cent, in each case."

Appended to the report was a plan showing the works necessary in connexion with the proposed roadway through the hills. These included thv •"tideiiins - of .the existing -jetties. . and

the construction of a roadway for along the water-front.

THE DISCUSSION

The Hon. R. Moore moved that the report be submitted to the Harbour Improvement Committee for consideration. The motion was seconded.

Dr. Thacker, M.P., referred to several matters on which additional information was necessary, including the effect 'on the health "of the city as the result of the construction of a harbour on this side of the hills. He also considered that the estimates for such a harbour should be brought up-to-date ; modern methods, he said, had greatly reduced the cost of tiie worfc as compared -with its cost in 1905. They should also have information as to the possibility of increasing the depth of water at Lyttelton to 35 or 40ft to permit of large steamers berthing at the wharfs. Mr G. Scott complimented the engineer on the report, and said that the tunnel project was out of the question. The estimates for a new port required revising.

Mr F. Horrell urged that every endeavour should be made to improve communication between Christchurch and Lyttelton and to encourage people to live on the hills. When present prices of labour and material were considered, he did not think , that a i new port could be'constructed for much less than the estimates or 1905.

Mr T. A. Blncklev referred to the large amount of capital sunk by the Board in the works at Lyttelton, which would be all lost if a new port were constructed. An estimate shouul be submitted of the cost of deepening the channel at Lyttelton. Dr. Thacker intimated that at the meeting of the Harbour Improvement Committee he would submit a new scheme in connexion with the :iew port. The chairman (Mr A. Kave) said that the meeting of the committee would be held oil the 18th inst., the conclusion of the statutory meeting of the Board, to pass the audited accounts, and he invited members to lujTch with him on that day. 'J be motion was agreed to.