THE WHIROKINO ROAD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3874, 22 November 1928, Page 4

THE WHIROKINO ROAD.

DISCUSSED BY HOROWHENUA COUNTY COUNCIL. WORK TO BE STARTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. As a result of the offer by the Main Highways Board, accepted by the Horowhenua County Council, of a subsidy of £3 for £1 on road •jvor'ks estimated to cost £83,907, a special report was received by the Council, and adopted ( on Saturday, from the County Engineer (Mr. J. T. M. Brewster) recommending the works to be gone on with, in their order of urgency, and dealing with necessary details (says the Chronicle). Certain financial adjustments which have to be made were referred to the Finance Committee, and preliminary arrangements for the resumption of the Highways scheme, which had been suspended since the end of June, are now in progress. NORTHERN AND FOXTON ROADS RECOMMENDED. The engineer reported as follows : Formation. —The plans for the portion of No. 6 highway between north boundary of Whirokino Riding and Shannon are completed, and this work could be gone on with when the plans, etc., are approved. A survey of Levin-Whirokino portion of No. 1 Main Highway will have to be made, plans prepared and submitted to the Main Highways Board for approval. I would suggest that about three miles of the survey of this road be completed, so that formation work could be started as soon as possible. The chairman (Mr. G. A; Monk) said that the amount placed on the estimates for the current year on the basis of a £2 subsidy must not be exceeded now that there was a £3 subsidy. This meant that there must be a curtailment of their work insofar as 'it affected the different sections which they proposed to do. He had discussed the matter with the District Engineer (Mr. Ronayne), who suggested that the section, Wiroikino north boundary to Shannon, be left over till the next financial year. RIVAL ROUTES..

Cr. Barber (Levin) said he failed to see that the Highways authorities were right in advocating the work on No. 1 highway. They were trying to divert the traffic through Foxton. The chairman stated that this suggestion did not come from the Board; It was'not discussed from the traffic point of view, but from that of finance. iCr. Barber: They have got a safe road, but they want to take the traffic through Foxton, and when you get five miles out of Foxton they are diverting it into Palmer-* ston North again, which means taking the main north traffic five miles further than there is any occasion for. If the money wero spent for making the road safer in the WSrokino-Shannon section, it would be a very important step. The chairman: The work you mentioned should go on in the new financial year. Cr. Barber: It it a piece of road that is absolutely a menace to the travelling public, and it should receive major consideration. AN ARTERIAL ROAD. Cr. Gimblett said he could not quite agree with 'Cr. Barber as to why the traffic was diverted to the Foxton Road. It was not because it had to go. to Palmerston, but because that was the main road to Wlanganui, New Plymouth and Auckland. It was right and sound for three ‘-'miles of the Wirokino Road to be surveyed. At the same time the Council did not want to lose sight of the needs mentioned by Cr. Barber. Cr. Ryder said he hoped that a start would be made on the far end of the Wirokino road, which was the expensive part to take metal to. The chairman: I told the Board we could not, because it gets under water. Whilst this is the most expensive, it will be most economical for us to start from this end. Cr. Girnblett: That will not apply with a metal road, but it will with bitumen. The chairman: We have to do the simplest part, so that they can get something ready for next season. FINANCIAL ADJUSTMENTS. Referring to finance, the chairman said it did not appear to* him, except for the two sections concerned, that the Council was likely to overexpend in this financial year, and according to Mr. Brewster’s programme there was no danger of exceeding the subsidy; but the Council

would have to arrange for a transfer of subsidy from the Whirokino North Boundary section to those at the northern end. Cr. Barber remarked that the authorities were very keen to have No. 1 Highway done, but they did not seem to realise that in a short distance the traffic was diverted on to the Himatangi-Ashhurst Highway. Cr. Gimblett: Himatangi-Auek-land, do you mean, I was referring to the Auckland route. Cr. Catley: This is the road, and it. ought to have been done before now. MANAWIATU RIVER BRIDGE. The district engineer forwarded an extract from the New Zealand Gazette declaring the deviation at the Manawatu River bridge to be a main highway and revoking portion of the existing main highway. The revoked portion was now regarded as a detour road, and as such would bear a maintenance subsidy only until such time as the new deviation is opened for traffic The portion of the new deviation within the borough of Shannon had already been gazetted as a highway. Cr. Gimblett said it was possible, after the completion of the work, for the old road and the bridge near the punt to be left in a bad state of repair. There were ratepayers who had been hoping that these old works would be looked after, because when the road reverted to the status of a county road they would be responsible for a big share of maintenance if it was left full of pot-holes. The chairman: Until the new road is open it will bear a subsidy. You won’t have any heavy traffic there once this is done. Cr. Kilsby: What amount of new work is to be done before the new road is opened? The chairman: It is to be opened in a month, I believe.