Manawatu Gorge Road Is Becoming Out-dated

Chronicle (Levin), 21 April 1949, Page 9

Manawatu Gorge Road Is Becoming Out-dated

The opinion that the existing roaa through the Manawatu Gorge could not suffieiently cope with present-day traffie and that only a major undertaking could provide a worthwhile route, has been expressed by the chairman'of the "Mai 11 Highways Board in a letter to the Automobile Association (Manawatu). This letter stated that a geographical survey of the Gorge highway had recently been undertaken by the board and the results forthcoming hau been most disturbing. The board admitted that the temporary Inglis bridge lOcated just east of the Ball'ange Bridge and immediately adjacent a railway tunnel, was only a stop-gap and that the structure constituted a danger to nighk traffie owing to its narrowness and the fact that approach visibility on both sides was limited. This factor would haye a bearing on any decision reached by the board. The Inglis bridge spans the Gorge road at a spot where the highway was washed out in torrential rain last year. On one side there is asheer drop to the river bed and on the other a railway tunnel. Apart from the danger , to traffie beeause of the narrowness of the bridge and limited visibility at either approach, the bridge also constitutes a major bottleneck when traffie througn the Gorge is heavy, sueh as at holiday periods and race days.