CONCRETE ROADS.

Matamata Record, Volume II, Issue 73, 14 March 1918, Page 1

CONCRETE ROADS.

Discussed by Engineers. Reporting to the Matamata County council last week the engineer, Mr F. Shannon, gave details of his recent trip to Wellington under the instructions of the council. He said : “ I attended the annual meeting of the civil engineers at Wellington, and am pleased to be able to state that it was well attended by engineers from all parts of the Dominion. The meeting was also very interesting and instructive. A number of papers were read and well debated, some of which dealt with concrete roads, tar macadam roads, concrete bridges, road tunnels, road making in Nelson, and flood damage to bridges, etc. The tar macadam road seems to me to be too expensive in the upkeep, the cost of which is placed at £SO to £IOO per mile per year. It seemed that the concrete road is the only satisfactory solution for the increasing motor traffic. It was thought that more information was required on this subject from practical experience. The data to hand chiefly from America all related to the success of the concrete road; we have no account of any failures, yet failures no doubt there must have been. We want to get the data relating to those failures and the caus9 before undertaking extensive works. The matter was referred to a committee to collect information and report to the next annual meeting.”