RAMP OVER FOXTON-LEVIN HIGHWAY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4439, 12 April 1930, Page 2

RAMP OVER FOXTON-LEVIN HIGHWAY.

PART OF flood protection

-SCHEME.

At the annual meeting of the Moutoa Drainage Broad heM on Thursday evening Mr. B. Cf. Gower, asked Mr. IV. E. Barber (lOhairman of the Manawatu County Council) if the Mmiawa-tu-Orona River Board had been granted permission to construct a ramp over the Boston- Levin highway at Whirokino in connection with a flood protection measure being considered by the Board.

Mr. Barber said that the Council had granted the Board permission to erect the ramp over the road at its last meeting and bad left the details in that connection in the hands of their engineer (Mr. H. Bond). Mr. D. Purcell hinted at possible danger to the travelling public by the construction of a ramp over the highway. There was a small one, he said, on the road in front of Mr. Spams’ property and one night when the Whirokino was flooded and the water up to within a few inches of the top of the ramp on the south side, a motor ear approached the rise in the road at a speed of from anything from 45 to 50 miles per hour and had he not given the driver timely warning lie would have dashed over the top and into the flood waters with possible serious consequences.

Mr. (lower instanced a ease of two ladies nearly coming to grief in a similar maimer one night during it Hood. Their ear actually got inio the water and in backing it out it had struck a power line pole. The chairman (Mr. J. Chrystall) told of ;i ease where a person who had misappropriated a ear also got into difficulties in the flood water covering the Whirokino portion of the highway with the result that the car had been abandoned and later lowed out and returned to its rightful owner and the unauthorised driver brought to book. Mr. Barber said the Manawatu Bounty Council had given careful consideration to the matter and would take every precaution to safeguard the travelling public. The ramp would tie very gradual in its slope and as a further safeguard it was intended to erect a notice board drawing attention to the ramp which would be illuminated by night as a warning to motorists (luring Hood time.