District Roads and Works.

Clutha Leader, Volume I, Issue 24, 24 December 1874, Page 6

District Roads and Works.

► A correspondent who had occasion ; to tra vei" bet ween the Molyneux and i Mataura has been kinfl 'enough, to ; furnish us with the' follo^in^.particulars 1 regarding* improvements in * course qf J beingmade upon this line of 'road : WAIPAHEE AND POUR-MILE CREEK. - . * - i- : •> • -' i i ■ i ■ ■ . v s After leaving Balclutha, the first work x of the .kind' met with is at the (Four-mile i Creek. "The gradient leading do&ri into i the gully haB been materially improved by ■ a deep cutting, and the culvert over the cret,k is 'in course of being widened, so as . to bring it to a uniforin breadth' with the i adjoifain^ causeway V The' work is being ; executed by Government day. labor. A < few miles further on, and we reach what is , known as the Carttope contract, which is , rather a more extensive piece of roadr making; £he surrounding ' country 'is , irregular, and in very many ' respects, i abrupt. The " pinches" have been relieved ,by cuttings and embankments, and, comparatiyely speaking, easy gradients secured. ' The formation is wrought to a width of ( 26ft., with a metalled causeway 14ft; the metal being spread to a depth of six inches. An excellent ( blueetone is used, which '■, seema "to be plentiful in the neighborhood — ; at all eVents, X observed the contractors | working jt from quarries situated' at , different points of the contract, thereby \ facilitating its transit to tbe gTound. The ; entire length of the wor t k in Jiand cannot be less than a mile-and-a-quarter. Metal has been spread over about a fourth part of the ground, and, altogether, the work seems to be in a forward state. Between 1 surface-men, stone- breakers, teamsters, &c, from thirty to thirty-five men are employed on the job, and with that assistance the early part of next month should see the work completed. So far as a casual observer may be allowed to express aa' opinion, I should say the contractors" are doing the work ample justice) " One ' thing can be confidently asserted : It wili greatly facilitate the road traffic, and render an otherwise difficult track available during the worse seasons of the year. THE POPOTUNOA GORGE. What I should call the great, in fact, the all- important improvement wrought upon this line of road is the work that has, and is being done oh the passage through the Popotunoa Gorge. Not only does the configuration of the country render roadmaking a' difficult operation, but other reasons cbmbine to make it what it has hitherto been— a road to be avoided if at all possible'. I have no desire to foster the memory of bye-gone Provincial jealousies, but the fact is notorious that during tbe time Southland, as a Sep'arate ProVincC, did its little best to snatch the Lakes tradie from Otago, Otago showed no disposition to aid in the design. The result was that this and other roads which might have been a means of diverting the traffic by way of Southland were neglected, ' in favor of other routes leading direct to the goldfields. In this way the Popotunoa Gorge has all along been allowed to remain a perfect terror to the traveling public. 1 It will be some satisfaction, however, to learn that that state of matters no longer exists, and that the line of road in question will shortly take its place as one of the safest and most easily travelled in the Province. From tbe mouth of the Gorge to the first crossing the breadth of roadway has been increased to 26ft. The rocky projections and bluffs which formed a succession of abrupt curves have been removed, and the uneven surface wrought to a uniform level with as easy a gradient as could possibly be expected under the circutostances. 'In place' of the descent down into^the gully at 'the lower crossing, abridge is ih course of construction, the roadway of which wiU be elevated on stone piers 2oft. above the level of the creek/' The building of one of these piers is now well advanced. It is composed of an excellent bluestone, with which the neighborhood is very well supplied?) This stone is worthy of special note. Jt has a fine clean grain, and I have it on good authority' that it is one of the finest samples of theikind that has been in Otago. When the railway V completed, there is little doubt but that it ! will become of considerable commercial importance as a building material. The bridge, when finished, will be of great advantage as a coupling line in the line of road. ' The heavy traffic, iristead[ of being compelled' to plunge down, as it' were, into i a deep gully-hoje, exposed to the floods of '. a mountain torrent, will be enabled to : effect a passage" along a gradient of not more than one in twenty. From thence to i the second crossing the road, has been i formed t'o a dead level, with a sufficient i number of culverts and water -tables to ] prevent Water accumulating upon the 1 surface. This was a very nasty bit of i swamp, and during wet seasons it was all < but impassable. Beyond tbis point im- i j portant alterations and improvement^ have i t been made, instead 'of crossing the i Kuriwao creek,' and wending a 'tortuous I way round the edge of the spur leading in • ] the direction pf Merrie Creek station, the ] new road line follows the direction of the ] bridle- track until within a few yards of the < foot-bridge, 'where . a shoulder df the i "dge on one side of the creek brings it i almost parallel with a leading spur on the i other side. Between these two projections < a second bridge will be constructed, which' I will cross the stream with a span 40ft. t wide." Beyond that, the road tfili follow t the leading spur until it gaiha theemineoce, i where it joins the old line of road at W t point in the neighborhood of Merrie Creek i station. This divergence will bring about i it marked improvement upon the' old route, c Travellers are aware that the upper cross- i ing is even worse than the lower one. Its j approach from the Mataura side is by a t perfect break-neck declivity, and it seems (

wholly mexplicable that accidents of a serious character have not occurred more frequently than they did. .Upsets have taken place, and as for teamsters getting bogged, during the winter season tbat was an event of almost daily occurrence. The new road will completely: obviate these difficulties and dangers. It 1 will carry the traffic over the range by ai good "firm road, 26ft. wide, in ah almofti direct line, having a ascent not greater than one iv thirty. The site for the upper bridge is remarkably well chosen. .If will be so situated as to maintain udi-i formity in the direct Ijne, so that it will bei? I relieved from everything like awkwardnessor difficulty' of approach/ The road; throughout exhibits an amount of engineer-; ing skill which reflects the highest credit i upon _the 'Road .Surveyor, Mr Smaill. The contractors are Messrs Kirby and O'Kane, at whose hands the work appeared to be getting every manner of justice. The contract price is, lam informed, about X6,0Q0-A-a' sum of money which, considering the great improvement being wrought, must be looked upon as well spent. As an evidence of the vigilerice with which the work is being supervised, the Government inspector, Mr George Bain, has insisted upon the sand used for building purposes being brought by the contractors from the Waiwera, although" a' seaiin of fair quality is found in the neighborhood; Altogether, I am" disposed to think that this work furnishes as good an example of what may be accomplished by skill and perseverence in the way of road- making *as could ,be found in the Province 6'f Otago. It will Secure a very great boon to the residents of Southland, and on the other hand it whTblot out a last vestige of the unseemly jealousies with which our southern neighbors were wont to regard us during the brief day of their existence as a separate Province.

OTARIA CREEK, &C. A cqDtract for bridging the Otaria creek has just been taken up; also the adjoining creek, situated in the vicinity of Trumbell's station. ' jßoth of these streams being liable to floods, it not unfrequently' happens that vexatious delays are experienced in consequence.' There is .-till a third creek situated in the same locality, for 'which I understand no provision has heen made. To make the road complete, a bridge ought most assuredly to be provided at this place. I would most respectfully urge the attention of the Government to the matter. I believe it is 'simply an overlook, but still it is one of those omi.sions which might at any time give rise to unfortunate, it not disastrous results, despite the great improvements v otherwise effected. A few chains of metal is 1 al«*o badly wanted for preservation of the road in and about the township of Clinton. With these few additions to the improvements at present in hand, the Mataura road would be rendered one second to none in the Province.