BRIDGE INSPECTION.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18235, 20 November 1924, Page 9

BRIDGE INSPECTION.

TO THE KPtTCR Of "rBX CUSS." Sir, —from time to time th* Bairwajr Department has close inspection* essde of the railway bridges. No Kilter &#wr substantial those works are made. tfc*r» aro always some signs of wear to b* detected and provided for. What i* there ever done by those who hav* the «m*> trol of road bridges to establish perfeet confidence in the road trsS«f

Near Kaiapoi, at the Cam bridge. ea a main road to Rangiora. serious de£eU were discovered in quite a sualt *eacretc single span bridge, and Bene to* soon. A new bridge was erected, &b4 the old one, on being dismantled a week or two since, collapsed so badly Uta the Cam river that had it nut b«*a attended to, some fearful accident to tfce increasing traffic in high-power Baton which/ise the road as if they were s«&i» built railway lines might hare taken place. Now, not far from tkere stamts a busy wooden bridge over the Wat

inakariri north branch on the ateia road Kaiapoi to Rangipra, via Ptaxtsa. litis was eroded in 1865—t1» 6r*S> bridge in New Zealand to hare irea girders as supports for the timber flaws ing or roadway. At preaca*. I«u«< dinary motor-ear it seems shaky. Tit* girders, about 60 years old, stay b* holding up well, but probably aee4 is> spection, and the bolts sere«r|as agb. Further along the same main road tkere 13 a timber bridge which is ia aarfe • condition that the heavy timber waggons and the tons of petrol whkk at* loaded on the lorries raise the qaestfoa how far inspection is carried out aa 4 for how long the traffic is to be at tk» risk of a collapse, with the meatk* eC added delay which it takes to reinstate the shivery-shaky kind of bridges to fee met in every motoring trip. Tk* bridges which were' made up te twealy years ago, I take it. are oat of date. while others arc cscnputg a tkereajk inspection and annual or biennial ***• tiucate from the Public Works Department.—Yours, etc, FOREWARNED.