SHORTAGE OF STEEL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 170, 5 August 1937, Page 9

SHORTAGE OF STEEL

Work on Bridge Near Waipukurau Held Up WAIPUKURAU, This.Day. Shortage of steel means a temporary delay in the eonstruction work 011 the new bridge whieh is being built over the railway erossing on the main road between Waipukurau and Waipawa. The work so far is well ahead of schedule and, even with . the delay, it is ( hoped to complete the job near the end oi October, which will still be before the scheduled date for completion. The boxing for two of the ioux spans 13 ready, but conereting cannot ,be procoeded with until the steel for reinforcing, which has been on order from Australia for soino time, turns up. It is expected to arrive towards the end of the month and, until then, eleven of the twelve men at present on the job will have to go ofi! at the end of this week. It is not expected that the new ronte will be open for traffic until towards r.hc end of November, though the t-ridge itself will be complete a month before then. The preparation of the approaches involves a tremendous omount of filling, which will take time, and will cost niore than the. consuuction Of the bridge, The contraelois (Messrs McGaffin, Ltd., of Hastings) have nearly completed the first part of their job, a contract for 2,000 cubic yards of filling, and are preparing to taekle' the main contract, which is estimated to require fom 30,000 to '40,000 cubic yards. The completed approaches will have cost approximately £6,000, about £2,000 niore than the .bridge itseif.