DISTRICT ROAD WORKS.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 519, 20 November 1912, Page 5

DISTRICT ROAD WORKS.

STARTING THE SEASON. AN EXTENSIVE PROGRAMME. No time is being lost by the Waitomo County Council in pushing ahead the work on the roads in the county. In addition to the contracts already let on the Waitomo road it has bflen decided to call for fresh tenders for the remaining section of the work, a distance of about two and threequarter miles.

On the Mairoa road a contract for widening and metalling two and threequarter miles from the Mairoa township towards Pio Pio hs.s been let to Mr H. Rothery, who is now busily engaged in preparations to start with a large body of workmen. The work of metalling about fifty chains of the Awakino road beyond Pio Pio has been let to Mr J. McGrath, and no difficulty should be experienced in completing this work at an early date. The first contract in connection with the Potaka loan has been let to Messrs Hickson and West. It comprises four and a half miles of metalling, and a distance of about three miles is yet to be let. The work let to Messrs Hickson and West is for metalling with a foundation of limestone spauls with a good coating of rubble on top. In view of the excellent results already obtained with rubble metalling it is held that the ideal road, wherever rubble is readily obtainable, will be that which has a good limestone foundation with an equal thickness of rubble on top. Rubble is obtainable in various localities throughout the district, though the quality varies somewhat, and care has to be exercised in choosing it. However, the precaution of laying a foundation of limestone spauls wherever such are obtainable, should minimise any risk in using the rubble, which, when properly set, gives a splendid surface to the road. | Considerable interest is focussed I on the Te Kuiti-Mokau road, especially that portion between Te Kuiti and Pio Pio, which at present carries the traffic of Aria and Mairoa, as well as that of Paemako, Mangaotaki, and the districts beyond those places. Last season showed poor results in metalling this important arterial thoroughfare, and settlers are hjping to see considerably greater progress during the present season. The crusher, which is installed 'at the twelve-mile peg, is under the control of the Government Roads Department, and the quarry is said to be nearly worked out. A considerable quantity of metal is crushed and stacked at the quarry, and a contract was let last season for the carting of tha metal. The work was started rather late in the season, and the exceptionally wet weather prevented the work being proceeded with. However, no time is to be lost in gettng the crushed metal on to the road, and the crusher will probably be removed to a quarry close to Pio Pio as soon as possible. With the money provided on the Estimates for the work it should be possible to complete metalling as tar as Pio Pio.