NEW LINK WITH WEST COAST

Hokitika Guardian, 15 October 1930, Page 5

NEW LINK WITH WEST COAST

LEWIS SADDLE ROUTE

CONSTRUCTION OF ROAD PROCEEDING.

(Christchurch Times.)

Such good progress is being made 1 with the construction of at least one portion of the Lewis Saddle road to the West Coast that, the plan to forge aiiiotlnw Jink of communication between that district and Canterbury grows daily nearer to realisation, The most difficult portion of the routelies between the Waiau terry, near Haunter, and the Glen Wye station. It is it seventoen*mile stretch of rough country, where hills alternate with river flat and which is broken at intervals by streams and shingle fans.

During the past eighteen months the Public. Works Department has devoted attention to the construction of the roadway through th*s stretch, The work has been pushed ahead vapidly during the past winter, and the main gang of workmen have pushed inland almost\ to the Glen Wye station. 'ln two months’ time it is expected that the road will be under formation to the Poplars Station, four miles further inland. CUTTINGS FORMED. So far attention has been almost wholly concentrated qn the formation of cuttings, but it is understood that within a month a start will be made with the formation of the road along the flat stretches. Owing to the work, being adopted primarily a 9 a means of unemployment relief, all operations to date have been carried out Iby manual labour, but the commencing of the construction on the flat will herald the introduction of machinery and the speeding up of the work. The cuttings which have been made greatly reduce the difficulties of travel over this portion of the route, doing away with many steep pinches. In one case a grade of one in six has been improved so that it is now possible for a motor-car to take it in top gear.

BRIDGE EXCAVATIONS. A few miles from the Waiau .ferry excavation was commenced a short time ago for the foundation of a bridge over the first of the streams crossing the route, but owing to men being needed for more urgent work at Lake Coleridge a number were taken from the Lewis Saddle Road gang, and the bridge excavations have been temporarily held up. One hundred and eight men are at present working on the road. The majority of them are employed near the Glen Wye station, but a few are engaged at various points along the road cleaning up small slips that have come down from the hills. RIVER EROSION. In one or two places the . road is not protected from the force of the Waiau River and it will be necessary to construct groins to divert the current. Seven miles inland from the Waiau ferry the river sweeps round in a large end striking with considerable force against its bank, and erosion during the past two years has almost completely carried away the old road

at this point.- -The new-road is : some distance above the river, but there is art apparent problem. A few miles above this point a deep gully, known as Handiside’s, present* the worst difficulty of the road. With every fall of rain 'a torrent of water rushes down this gully' carrying with it hundreds of tons of shingle from the hills, so that the road has constantly to be reformed. | It; is proposed to overcome the problem by the erection of a high trestle bridge: On' behalf of the Canterbury Progress League the work was inspected yesterday by. Messrs J. E'. Strachan, vice-president, and ;P. R. Clifnie, secretary.' Professor A. H. Tocker was .also a. member of the party, who were conducted over .the route .by ; Mr E. P. H. Burbury, owner of Glen Wye station. Of particular interest to Mr Climie, who is also secretary ,of the Canterbury Aero Club, was an excellent landing ground which he was shown near the road at Glen Wye station, , ”