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ARTERIAL ROADS

AN IMPORTANT REPORT

SCHEME OF MAINTENANCE

SUGGESTED

PROVINCIAL BOARDS OF CONTROL

Important observations regarding main roads are made in the report of a commission appointed some months ago to consider questions of route and construction in connection with the main road between Helensville and Hamilton. This road passes through -Auckland, and is a highway for a great and growing district. One of the points considered by the commission was the advisability of adopting a system of concrete construction.

Most of the witnesses who appeared before tho commission advocated a concrete road, and suggested widths varying from oft. to 10ft. The commission believes that in view of tho increased speed likely to result from tho adoption of better roads, no class of road intended for main roan traffic should be constructed of a less width than 18ft. This width applies to the wearing- surface only. This width should be gradually increased at all sharp Jbends and Intersections to admit of ample space for tho safe turning and passing of motor vehicles at such places. The roads should be banked, or raised on the outer edge at all bends, and if the bend is .on a gradiont the grado should 'be flattened at that point. A concrete road is very costly in the first instance, but a factor to be taken into account is the decreased tractive effort necessary on a. concrete road as compared with a water-bound macadam road in good order. This is in the ratio oi about 1 to 2J, so that the saving to users of the road in petrol and in horse-Haulage iB considerable.

The commission, which consisted of Messrs. W. S. Short, A. J. Hunter, A. D. Bell, and C. Motion, has worked out tho capital cost of construction, the. annual cost of maintenance, and the annual chnTge for interest, sinking fund, and maintenance for various types of road. The chargcs are all'per mile for a 18ft. road, and the rate of interest allowed for loan money is 6 per cent. The estimates are as follow:— An-. Capital Main- nual cost tenance cost , . A £ -C New water-bound macadam 2700 180 390 Now . water-bound macadam, tar sealed 3400 90 315 Old . water-bound macadam, resurfaced, widened to 18ft and tar-sealed 2100 90 245 Concrete road 6600 45 540 Tho commissioners are of opinion that the class of road construction most likely to meet the requirements of future heavy motor and other' traffic will be concrete, hut wring to the high cost they do not think that the present construction of tho Helensville-Hamilton road in concrete would be justified. A concrete arterial road should be the goal aimed at, but in the meantime speedy rolief at comparatively low cost can be given by the construction of a tar-sealed road, with concrete near the thickly populated centres or where the traffic is heavy. Discussing matters of finance, the com- i missioners remark that the policy of the Government with respect to the main roads of the Dominion is not yet known. Several witnesses claimed that ft tyre tax of ten per cent, on tyres used in. the Auckland district would cover maintenance, interest and sinking fund m connection with a reconstructed HelensvilleHamilton main Mad. The commissioners cannot accept this estimate. It the road were constructed as recommended, the annual cost would be about .£45,000. .1 he total declared value of the motor tyres import eel into New Zealand in 1910 was j28G0,048, and a tax of- i 0 per cent. on. such an amount would Tealise .£BO,OOO. But this would be a Dominion tax and would have to bo spread over thousands of miles of main road. A sum of JMj.OOO could not be taken from it for one road 120 miles in length. The local bodies are not in a position to provide all tho money required, and {ha Government oi'iht to contribute. commission proceeds to lay down a suggested scheme of control, based 1 on the Victorian system and capable ot forming part of a scheme for the wholo Dominion. It recommcnds_ that a board of control shall be established, consisting of two nominees of the Government and two representatives of the local bodies. The board, which shall be paid reasonable fees, shall bo authorised to appoint a thoroughly competent engineer -and other necessary officers, and shall be "iven the powers of a county council for the construction, deviation, improvement and maintenance of the road. The board shall from timo to time fix tho limits of the district that will benefit by tho rood, but_tho collection of coh. tribufinns from the local bodies shall l'e made % the "Government. The other recommendations are as toil0 That the principles of the Victorian Country Roads Boards Act should be adopted, under which the Government raise money for main roads and advance the cost of their construction m tho iirst instance, a. portion of which should be paid by the local bodies during a term of years to be fixed bv law, and tlint the amount necessary to properly construct the i»ad be borrowed and placed at. the disposal of the board in such amounts as tho Minister of Publio Works may . determine. „ . , That the Government taise sufficient money and create a general main roads construction and maintenance fund for the whole Dominion, partly, by a tax on motor tyres and other vehicles, and otherwise as it thinks fit, and out of this fund place such a proportion yearly as may be necessary at the disposal of the board. , L , . "Your commissioners are further ot opinion," adds the report, "that one Main Roads Board for the whole Dominion is unworkable. Such a scheme works well in Victoria, because there_ is one centre there, Melbourne, to which all the main roads in that Stato to a great extent converge. In New Zealand it is quite different. We suggest that « Main Hoads Board for each provincial district he set up. If that were done the powers' of the board which we suggest for the Helensville-Hamilton road could easily he widened to take in other roads for the Auckland district, and the board wouljLthns easily form part of a general'sMewe for Hie w'nolo Dominion. Tho above recommendations are made on the assumption that tho Government intends to subsidise to a considopable extent tho cost, of constructing and maintaining the road. If the Government cannot see its way to promote legislation to enable this to bo done, wo are of opinion that it will be impossible for the local bodies themselves to improve the general condition of this road to any extent at their own cost, or to maintain it in a ' maimer satisfactory for modern traffic."

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19201130.2.39

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 56, 30 November 1920, Page 7

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,113

ARTERIAL ROADS Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 56, 30 November 1920, Page 7

ARTERIAL ROADS Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 56, 30 November 1920, Page 7

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