HIGHWAYS BOARD'S VISIT

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 61, 4 December 1937, Page 3

HIGHWAYS BOARD'S VISIT

Our Own Correspondent.)

Question of Sealing the Porangahau Road

(From

WAIPUKURAU, Last Night. The Main Highways Board met representatives of local bodies at the Waipukurau Couuty Council's offiees yesterday. The board was composed of Messrs T. A. Baker (chairman), and J. W. Scott (Government ' representatives), M. H. Wynyard (m'otorists' representative), and W. Morrison and C. J. Talbot (representatives of the Counties' Association). Also present were Messrs G. W. Knap (secretary), G. W. Albpertson (engineer), and A. Dinnie (the board's representative in this area). The board was met by the Mayor, Mr I. \.r. N. Mackie, the town cleark-engineer, Mr H. B. Smart, Messrs A. C. Russell and R. B- Priee, chairman and engineer respeetively of the Waipukurau County Council;,, and Mr J. C. McLauchlan, engineer of the Patangato County Council. . The visitors were welcomed by Mr Russell, who said the Waipukurau County Council had no requests to make. The Highways Board had always met the council well, and all the counties in the group had received every courtesy from Mr Dinnie and his staff. Mr Mackie welcomed the visitors and stated that the borough council had nothing to consult the board about. Mr Baker said that no standard of construetion that the board could give effect to was too high for modern requirements. It was found that roads bullt only a few years ago were now below standard, having in view the ir-creasing speed and density of traffic, Standards of eurvature, camber and alignment were not sufficiently high to make the roads safe and adequate for road users. The references to the work of Mr Dinnie had been noted with pleasure, and the fact that there were no requests to make proved that the general policy'of the board was meeting with the approval of . ratepayers and local authorities. Mr J. C. McLauclilan, engineer of the Patangata County Council, apologised for the absence of the chairman and deputy chairman.. '■ He said he had been asked to bring before the board the matter of a sealing programme — -about five miles per annum for the next four or five years. Porangahau road was expensive to maintain, he stated, and the council thought it might be advisable to extend the tar-sealing for 20 miles, raising a loan for the purpose. The estimated cost was £3060 a mile for preparing, widening and sealing, and the council contemplated spending between £12,000 and £15,000 per annum on the work. It was necessary, in Mr McLauchlan's opinion, to have the preparation of Porangahau road completed 12 months — and in some places two years — before sealing was done. In reply Mr Baker stated that in regard to the main .highway from Waipukurau to Porangahau, he understood that the metalling materials, were too expensive to obtain and not of a very high standard, and t^at the road was not up to standard for an outlet road from a fairly large farming area. The suggested programme was too large for the board to give approval; the funds available would probably not e sufficient to meet the cost. However, that opinion was ased on inadequate information. He suggested that the council carry out surveys with a view to submitting proposals in the ordinary way. He recommended that the council undertake this as early as possible, so that the council eould discuss the matter with the board's representative in sufficient time for the board to considcr whether finance could be made available. Any proposal that the council submitted would have the board's favourable consideration, and how fast the work could be done depended on the cost and the available finances. It was stated that there were about 140 vehieles a day on the Porangahau road, much of the traffic being heavy.