MORE ABOUT BIG WORKS PLAN

Chronicle (Levin), 27 May 1946, Page 4

MORE ABOUT BIG WORKS PLAN

-Fress Association

MANAWATU SCHEME COMING SOON

By Telearatfi—

WBI.LINGTON, May 25. Pul'thljr detaiis.. of the comprehensive programme of major development ' works and projects for the Wellington regional district for. the next ten years, have been given by the Minister of Works, Hon. B.' Semple. The Minister dealt lirst with the tunnel proposals to the Wairarapa. The object of the tunnel, he said, was to eliminate the worn-out traek over the Kimutftkas, which "was a serious bottleneclc to the railway operations on the whole of the line. Discussing the advantage to the travelling public of the tunlxel proposal, the Miiiister said that the present passenger train service took nearly three hours for the journey from Wellington to Featherston, and the present. rail-car service one and three-quarter hours. With an electrie , , service through the proposed tunnel the distance would be covered in just over one hour. It took three and a half hours to go from Wellington to Masterton by the present passenger train service and rivo and a half hours by rail-ear. With an electric service through the tunnel Ihe time would be redueed to under two hours. In effect, said the Minister, areas of the Wairarapa would be brouglit within suburban distance of Lower Hutt C'ity and almost within the same relation to Wellington. In addition, thes operation of the working railways south of Palmerston North would be greatly ' facilitated. investigations in regard to the projeer were fairly ' far advanced, and ne thought he would be able within the next moiith or so to make a definite statenient of the Government 's intentions regarding the tunnel. HUtt Valley-Plimmerton Link. Another interesting proposal subinitted to the ilinistry of Works by the Railways Department was a proposed link parallel with the Haywards Road from the Hutt Valley through to , Plimmerton. That proposal, which had only recently been brought forward by . the Railways Department (which was closely associated with the ilinistry of works in" the planning of the area) was still in the preliminary stages of colisideration, but the possibility of obtaining a cross-connection between • two systems clear of Wellington and ! short of Palmerston North would have , many advantages if engineering and * economic investigations were satisfaci tory. Ultimately, if proved to be praclicable, it would also permit of a complete suburban circuit of the electric railway from Wellington through the Hutt via Haywards and back to Wellington, via the Porirua area, utilisiug electric rolling stock of high efficiency. Lake Reclamation. Another work whieli the Government had been considering for some time and on which the advice of outside engineers as well as departmental officcrs had l)een soqght, ■ was the extensive reclamation of low-lying land around Lake Wairarapa. Investigations .were still in hand, but the proposal, if proved praelieable, appealed to him, as it . would involve an area of some 30,000 acres of highly productive land, and should enable the establishment of some 200 further famiiies on the land. He hoped to be able to make a more definite statenient regarding the work in the near future. Road Tunnel to Wairarapa ! Another proposal outlined on the plan was the improvement of road access to the Wairarapa. His engineers had secured an altcrnative line which would involve the construction of a tunnel about a mile long, making a much shorter and much more direct route for road traflic, eliminating some twolliirds of the rise over the Rimutaka ' Road, or 700 feet in height, and shorteni ing the distance to the Wairarapa by : three and a half miles and for ear traffic ! Iiy 80 minutes. Recreation Area I NortJi of Paekakariki and extendiug j to Raumati South, on the advice of the i National Council of Physical Welfare i and Recreation, the Government had ac- | quired a large area of land which it was j the intention to set aside for recreation1 al purposes for the whole of the Wel- ! lington and .M anawatu districts. Tlie ! area would lie adinihistered by a propi erlv constituted boar'd, on which the i Council of Sport and the regional iocal authorities in the district would have rcpresentation. Manawatu Plan 'Soon An indication of the Government 'S intention in developmental works was i given to a similar meeting by the Mini ister last year, when some of the works I now described were iiulieated as being ' onder review in the Government 's plans. As soon as proposals are api proved further announcements will fol- ' low the Wellington statenient, covering Christchurch, Dunedin, Waikato, South Canterbury, Manawatu- Wan'ganui, Northland, Southland, Rotorua, and Bav of Plenty. Otliers will follow as information comes to hand. Christchurch metropolitan works, together with certain ancillary works in the North Canterbury area, will be annovmeed in Christchurch Within the next two to Ihree weeks.