ENGINEER'S REPORT.

North Otago Times, Volume CVII, Issue 17748, 18 March 1927, Page 6

ENGINEER'S REPORT.

The engineer (Mr B. T. W. Owcn) reported as follows: — . Streets, Maintenance. — In addition to the usual street and town maintenance, road surface repairs were carried out on the following streets — Wharfe, Test, Tamar, Tees, Wansbeck and Tyne streets, this work using approximately 133 cubic yaras 2Jin. crushed metal, and 165 cubic yards of quarry rock spoil. On the foregoing road repair worlc 52 per cent. of the work was due to the new sewers and water main trenches, which work and matenals have been charged against sewerage loan account, road replace.nients. All the road surface repair work on the South Hill has been •ompleted; so minor road repair vill only be necessary during the oming winter. To facilitate the /ork of minor road repairs during he winter, stock piles of crushed aetal are now heing placed in seected parts of the borough, so that [uick repair can be given by the t'aff and a one-man horse dray outlt. Road repair work is now m proress in the middle town area and, he northern town area, which work is expected to be completed >y the end of April. The asphalt 'ootpath work and necessary asihalt f ootpath repairs, due to the ;ewerqge work, is nowr in progress; md it will be continued until comnleted. The cleaning of the outfall drains of the borough is now in progress. Four light and one heavy cast iron channel crossings were placed by the stafF during the month, and iiie blocked drain was cleaned out. The road formation and shingling jf Lynn street, length 264 chains. cost £103. 11s 2d, or £5 2s 4d per chain. The storm water drains cost £29 15s 9d, and the concrete lcerb and channel work cost £7 2s 4d per chain. The asphalt road formation of Steward street cost £118 4s 2d, or 2s 4d per square. yard; the concrete kerb and channel work cost £8 3s ld per chain. Water. — During the month, five inside and one outside applications were received for water connectio'ns; and five inside and one outside water services were connected to the borough water main§; also one water service was renewed throughout. The water race inspector reports that the Waitaki river has been normal during the month; also the repair gang are busy effecting necessary repairs to the decayed struts and braces of the Frew's gully flume trestles. These repairs to the supporting trestles shows conclusively the urgent need of substantial intermediate concrete piers to take the place of the present old timber trestles, which trestles have outlived their term of usefulness usually allowed by engineers for siniilar structures. Buildings. — During the month building permits yere issued for nine residences to the value of £6461 one new building to the value of £600; four additions and alterations lo existing residences and buildings to the value of £1195; and four garages to the value of £20£; giving a combined total value of £8461. The residential house building in the North Oamaru districts still continues at a steady rate of progress. Councillor Crawshaw said the information regarding the cost of Lynn Street would he useful in the future.