Dangerous Bridge.

Patea Mail, 10 February 1882, Page 3

Dangerous Bridge.

The public should be further warned about crossing the Manawapon bridge with loads. A team owner has left at this office several pieces of rotten, wood broken off short, and ho says these pieces fell out of the top chord of the bridge yesterday while he drove across an empty team ; and that in crossing with a light load and three or four horses, the bridge sways in a manner which frightens the horses. An official warning is published that “ the bridge is not safe with any weight exceeding two tons.” An empty dray and five horses would weigh probably two tons ; and as there is a continuous heavy traffic in timber from Waverley northwards it would put a stop to the ordinary heavy traffic to limit the weight to two tons. Yet the bridge is clearly unsafe for the daily traffic going over it; and we ask the authorities to treat the bridge as positively dangerous, and set about the intended repair or the intended new bridge. A collapse while a team is passing may cause a shocking catastrophe. It will then be too late to call it an accident; and the two County Councils who have a public responsibility in this matter should realise what their responsibility is. One fact touches the Patea County especially, namely that it was agreed last week to leave the maintenance of this bridge under the control of Patea County.