A TROUBLESOME ROAD

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2649, 21 December 1915, Page 11

A TROUBLESOME ROAD

HUTT ROAD BOARD CONCRETE MOTOR TRACK PROPOSED. The first meeting of the Hutfc Road Board, constituted under a new Act of last session, to attend to the maintenance of the Hutt Road (between Thorndon and Petone) was held in tlio Mayor's Room yesterday afternoon, the Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. P. Luke) presiding. There wore present: Messrs. J. W. M'Ewan (Mayor of Petone), C. C. Crump (Mayor of Onslow), M. W. Welch (chairman of the Hutfc County Council), and H. J. Monaghan'(chairman of the Makara County Council). Apologies woro recoived from Mr. H. . ' Baldwin (Mayor of the Hutt), and Mr. F. T. Mojro (representative of combined district), Tlio City Engineer (Mr. W. H. Morton), who was entrusted with the charge of the maintenance of the road under an arrangement with the contributing bodies, presented a statement which showed that from October 1, 1914, to Novembor 23. 1915] the sum of £1308 3s. fid. had been expended on labour, and £524 7s. 2d. oil material, a total of £1832 10s. Bd. He estimated the cost,of tlie work necessary between November 23 and March 31 next at £1126, made ,up as follows Metal for reslieeting road between Thorndon Quay and Kaiwarra (including spreading, rolling, and blinding), £450; metal for patching, £50; labour and cartage, £578; completion of work rendered necessary in removal of- debris and damage caused by the flood on Novem- ' ber 5, £150. With .5 per cent, added for supervision, tlio total amount expended and to he expended between October f A, 1914. arid March 31, 1916, is estimated to amount to £3106 9s. 2d. The chairman outlined tlio-work of the board and referred in detail to the finance statement epitomised above, on which, there was a general discussion, r Mr. Morton explained the nature of the work done and that which' needed to be done. In the course of his remarks ho brought forward the : suggestion that, in view of the amount of wear and iear to the.Toad by motor traffic, a central strip of the road, say. 20ft. in width, might be laid down in concrete (as had been done in England and elsewhere) for the sole use of motor traffic. A concrete road had, ho stated, about the same lifo as woodblGcking, and if such a track were formed it would bo an immense saving to the macadamised portions of the road. It was decided that Mr. Morton should draw up a report and work out an estimate, of tlio cost of the laying down of a concrete track such as suggested, to be ready at least before the close of the financial year. A letter was also received from the Engineer urging the hoard to have bylaws to control the traffic over the road more efficiently than is now the case. Pedestrians using the asphalt sidewalk wero now in constant danger owing to the iiabifc of motor-cyclists using the footpath in preference'to tlie road. The board decided to have a set of bylaws drawn up by the Wellington City Council officers for submission to a meeting of the' board to bo held after the holidays.