PAVING DELAYED

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 56, 30 November 1926, Page 5

PAVING DELAYED

3ROKEN WEATHER DELAYS PROGRESS AIAIN TAITA ROAD NOW IN HAND All those who live in the Hutt Valley, north of Lower Hutt, and the great army of motorists who enjoy a spin in that district, have had cause :o regret that the paving of the main road north of Taita was not allowed to proceed. The late city engineer (Mr. J. Paterson) was prepared to go on .vith the work last ybar, when someone in the Public Works Department liscovered that the road, as it had existed for fifty years, was not exactly in the middle of the road reservation, md on that account the City Council (the constructing authority) was ordered to desist from paving the road as part of the Wellington and Subuiban Highways Construction Board’s scheme. Had the work been allow’Cd to go on, the road would have been completed as far north as the Taita Gorge last season. After all the delay entailed, the Main Highways Board has s,nc ® authorised the local Highways Board to continue the work of paving the centre strip of the existing road. A start was made last week with this work, but only half a day’s work was possible before rain set in for the week-end. It is rather unfortunate that the spring months—September, October, and November—have been so wet and unruly, as the whole of the reading operations have been seriously impeded thereby For the Petone hot-mix plant there were ten days in October on which no road paving could be done. At Ron.gotai in October, out of a working month of 26 days, there were eight days on which the plant had to be closed down, whilst a similar number of davs in November were cut out of the working calendar. As in Wellington there is very little reliable weather until after Christmas. January. February, March, and April are regarded as the cream of the paving season. Given fine weather this week, Upper Vivian Street and Upper Willis Street will be paved, whilst Adelaide Road will be advanced a further stretch. The Petone gang, which has been at work in Jackson Street Fast, is. now engaged on the Taita main road.