THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1920. ROAD AND RAILWAY DEVLATION.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 25 August 1920, Page 2

THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 25, 1920. ROAD AND RAILWAY DEVLATION.

The matters on whkb' a represent;-, live deputation waited on the Prime Minister and the Minister for Piblit ‘ Works on Monday last—the pronm-d \ deviation of the Paekakariki HUfroa-j ‘r and the Plimiuertoc-PaekalTariki nili way line —can. without exaggeratia. | be said to be ox immense Importaueeto j this district, and also to the wholeof I the North Island. Jt i- generally re- ! cognised that the present road o’« r • the Paekakariki Hill can never ' a fitting main arterial road. It is 1 steep, narrow and dangerous, andjio i amount of expenditure v can ever overcome these obstacles. The Ministerfor Public Works, on Monday last, "adi mined that the present hill road -a-->«lv a temporary one, therefore i ■« ’ **«*■ of securing'moneyand l " • at preset only a nnu^. labour—the chief dime,- _ according to the Prime Ministe.,' labour, not money—before the work put through. This road deviation inseparable from the railway line deviation from Pliinmertoa to Paekakariki. The railwaygsuthoritic-s have definitely decided to run the railway rads along the coast line from Piircmerston to Paekakariki; indeed this work been actually authorised by -arlsassent. This will give' an aW rate.y fiat line from Paekakariki. to Plitamenan, thus obviating tie steep Htclico on both sides, of Ptxkerua—a

use of some £O7ll. ‘The new route along the shore will be one mile and forty-seven chains longer than the present line, but the extra length will be more than compensated for by the provision of an all-level route. The proposal is that, when the railway lines are laid alongside the coastline, the present railway route be used for a new road. A" traffic bridge will, of course, have to be erected at Parematu —this is badly needed at present —and the suggestion is to follow the railway line up tlic Plimmcrton hill, through Pukcrua. It would be necessary to either skirt alongside the tunnels, or work clown to the beach and follow the coast to Paekakuriki. This proposed deviation has no engineering difficulties in the way, and would not prove a very costly work. A rough estimate of the whole work is set down at £00,1)00. The highest point of the road would be only 1107 ft, as against over 900 ft in the present hill road; tlio worst part of the grade would be one in fifty-live, and—a most important point—the deviation would save a distance of about four and a-lutlf miles between Paekakariki and Parcmata. It is highly important to bear in mind that the present railway line between Wellington and Palmerston North is tit present carrying up to almost its full capacity. Experts agree that as the New Plymouth, Auckland and Hawke’s Bay traffic increases, as it must, it will be absolutely necessary to duplicate the whole line between Wellington and Palmerston North. Now it would prove a most costly matter to duplicate the lino between Paekakuriki and Plimmcrton if the present line is retained, whereas duplication could be carried out at a reasonable

cost on the proposed level coastline. This is a potent argument in favour of the deviation of the railway line. When this is done, it would nor bo a very co'sTly matter to form a new road along the present railway line in this locality. By this procedure the present exceedingly dangerous route over the lull would be obviated, a worthy main arterial road with a good grade would be provided, the distance by road would be reduced by four miles and a half, and the trains could run on a level stretch, without, the necessity of extra engines for steep haulage. Altogether the proposal- seems . such a business-like one in every way that the Government should certainly undertake the work at the earliest possible opportunity. We are glad to know that the Progress League is determined to keep the matter persist, cnfly before the Government until the, work is actually put in hand.