RAMPS WANTED

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 2, 6 June 1929, Page 6

RAMPS WANTED

EXPENSIVE WORK.

THE PETONE CROSSING AND INDUSTRIAL LINE

Members of the City and Suburban Highways Board, in furtherance of their decision to press for the construction of ramps or. overbridges at the Petone crossing and at the new industrial line crossing Park : Road, Gracefield, last week visited both localities in company with.Mr F. C. Widdop, Chief Engineer, New Zealand Railways.

The Gracefield area was first inspected. Here the new branch, line n-mj oil' from the Waterloo line down to- j wards Point Howard to serve the area between Park Road and the sea, on which land several big industries are to be shortly under way. The industrial area development plans provide for a deep water wharf at Point Howard and con-: sequently this branch line will in- tlie_ future carry a great part of the inward and outward haulage to the whole of the Eastern Hutt industrial section.

It is maintained by the City and Suburban Highways Board, whose members represent the opinion of the several local bodies of the Greater Wellington district, that the prospects of development in the industrial area during "the next few years are such that there must soon be sufficient volume of rail traffic to warrant the construction of an over-

bridge. ■ • x ■ ' : The attitude of the Railway Department, as expressed by Mr Widdop, is that the very heavy expense of an overbridge, a matter of perhaps £10,000, is only warranted in cases where there is density of boj;h rail and road traffic, and that for some time to come the rail traffic on the branch line will be irregular and of light volume, with practically no night traffic. It was considered, therefore that a warning device, such as the Pearson signal (two arms which revolve in opposite directions, a rotating light being used at night, and warning bells) would give ample protection for the time being. touch device would cost about £3000 to in stall. The whole question of giving pro-. teetion at level crossings was one of finance, and obviously ' the Government eliminate all such crossings. For the price of one overbridge, twenty crossings could be equipped with adequate warning devices, and a greater general protection could be thus given. The present circumstances did not warrant the expense of over-bridge construction. Mr H. M. Jones. Mayor of Eastbourne remarked that Park Road carried up to 10,000 vehicles per day on exceptional days and always the volume was heavy. Eastbourne buses alone ma.de fifty trips a day. Mr Widdop said that if necessary aTrangements could be made to pilot trains over the crossing. All the industrial area shunting would be done clear of the actual crossing. That arrangement, replied Mr Jones, ' could not get over the~hold-up of traffic an overbridge was essential. A great deal of the traffic which now uses Park Road, said Mr Widdop, would lake the deviation now being driven nearer the sea. Mr G. A. Troup, Mayor of Wellington, remarked that Park Road was to be the access road to theJVainui Valley development, and in ten. years there would be as great a volume of traffic to Wainui as there was to Day's Bay and Eastbpurne at present. An overbridge was not warranted unless there was density of both rail and road traffic, said Mr Widdop. The po,sition was altogether different at the Petone crossing, over which up to 70 trains pcr v day passed. One overbridge might come in a few years' time.

In a few years, said Mr Troup, buildings would have gone up, land would have increased in value, and an overbridge would cost ten times as much.

Councillor W. H. Bennett suggested that the Bailway (Department should guard against that at onee^ even though the ramp was not to come just now.

The board will discuss the question further at an early meeting.

A £60,000 JOB The party then went on to the Petone crossing, where the Department's proposals were explained in detail by plan and by examination of the lengths of the main road and the esplanade, which would be affected. Some months ago four alternative plans were submitted to the board, but one only commended

itself. This provides for safe access

on easy curves and with grades of 1 in • 20* to both the Main road and the esplanade, and also' would make possible

an easily graded approach to a new road wiiicn. may be formed to open up the land which,will be vacated wnen the whole of the railway wohkshops activity is transferred, to the new^ shops. But for the necessity of giving access direct to both the Main road anoT to the esplanade the construction would be fairly straight ahead, though there are the considerable complications of the Koro Koro Stream and the water mains to the city. The "doufele legging" of the ramp on the Petone side will require a tremendous quantity of filling and will affect a fair amount of land. Even so, this particular plan, it is considered, will involve less in compensation payments than either of the other proposals, though these will still be heavy. Filling when it is done on a scale of thousands of cubic yards, runs into big money, and tbe estimated cost of the overbridge mentioned yesterday morning was £60,000,

The local bodies and Railway Department are apparently agreed that an bverbridge is necessary at this crossing, bat tl£ere is anything but agreement yet upon/who'- shall foot the bill. The Railway Department has indicated very definitely that it will not bear the cost, and a lot of heart-to-heart argument must take place before the Department the local bodies, and the Main Highways Board reach an agreement upon the way in which the £50,000 or £60*000 shall be found. That aspect has, in fact, scarcely been discussed at all, but members of tho local bodies .concerned are confident that a reasonable and fair way can be found.- _.:..