NEW COAST HIGHWAY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 67, 11 December 1937, Page 9

NEW COAST HIGHWAY

-Prerfa Association.)

Inspection by GovernorGeneral

(By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Dec. 9. Tlis Excellency the Governor-General (Lord Galway), accompanied by the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. lv. Semple), the Engineer-in-Chief of the Public Works Department (Mr. J. Wood), and his district officers to-day formed the first motoring party partly to traverse the new Paekakariki-Plim-inerton level highway. The first lorry to make this trip. passed over the working track only a few days ago, and there is still a space of twelve chains without a track of any sort, over which the party had to proceed on fotft. They inspected the new road from the Plimmerton end through the swamp section, where 60ft. of filling has been necessary to secure foundation. The tour was made iu delightful woather and gave a vivid impre3sion of tlie new, practically straight highway, which it is estimated, said Mr. Semple, will cut out 160 dangerous bends, 500ft. of climb, 4J miles in distance, and will probably save motorists £22,000 a year in petrol. The new road, said Mr. Semple, will be in use in from eighteen months to two years. Tho party wns much interested in tho coastal route, cspecially iu the portiou where a sea wall for little over a mile will guard the only vulnerable seaward sido of tho whole Touto. Returning over Paekakjftiki Hill, the party was givcn an idea of the climb and distancz the new route will avoid,