THE MAIN HIGHWAY.

Shannon News, 20 June 1924, Page 3

THE MAIN HIGHWAY.

-BITUMEN SURFACED FROM WAIKANAE To TOKOMARU. TOTAL COST £159,000. TO BE COMPLETED IN THREE YEARS. Willi the gazetting oj the roads that are to come under the Mam Highways Board's scheme, ii is possibfe to give some liuier details oi' Hie flerowhenuu Comity , Council's proposals as adopted by the Council ana confirmed by the Bo'ui'd. The scheme js contained in a comprefhensive report recently prepared bv the Cu'unty iingineer, Air W. N. Anderson, and laid helore the Council. The County Engineer went into the problem liom all points oi' view, and arrived at conclusions, the soundness ol which cannot be doubled in view oi the ever-growing demands made by motor. irat'iio on the main highways. The general principles of . modern road construction aire laid down with much clearness and complete details aro given oi tiho work emailed on each section" oi' the 46 tniJes oi' highway tliat will be treated.

The salient ieatures oi' the report may be briefly mentioned. The Engineer stales that the road dealt with is that from Waikanae to the Wirokino Bridge, and from Levin to the northern boundary of the Tokohiaru Hiding. Ha recommends a bitumenolis aspthali ro.ad constructed by the penetration method, by winch the old metal surl'aiee is scarified, a four-inch coat of crushed metal pu;t down and rolled, the bitumen sprayed under ■pressure into the metal and covered with coarse chips, the whole surface then being coated, with •bitumen and line chips. The maintenance cost of such .a road is approximately £2O a mile: per annum as against £l5O per inile that the present. roads are costing. The provision is for a v 24loot .road, with asphalt 98 feet wide. His estimates further provide for the straightening of all bad bends. •The estimated total cost of the whole work, including machinery is £'1511,(07, and 'the assumption is 'that the .whole sum will be expended in tit ice years. The first year's work is expected to comprise sixteen miles, of which .72 miles are in the Wirokino Riding, 2 miles in the Tokomaru . Riding, 3£itiiies in the Qtuki Riding and .2J, miles in the Te Horo Riding. The Engineer then gives complete details of the work to £>e done with individual estimate*, tihe preparation of which must have, involved a groat amouint of enquiry and calculation.

The estimated cost of the necessary { plant is £10,4.15, the items being as i'o'i- j lows: Two metal crushers, two eieva- j iors, two screens, two electric motors to drive crushers, one heavy road roller, one tandem roller, one scarifier, two fout'Jton lorries, one two-ton lorry, one *bne-ton lorry, tar sprayer, three scoops, six huts, lour team horses, three drays, with harness, ' road plougihs, tar boilers, etc. The Riding costs are given as follow:— -

« . Miles Chns. Cost. Te uoro 8 55 £23,594 Otaki 6 70 £-22,207 Wirokino 19 70 £62,473 Tokomaru .......... 10 70 £29,732 £148,007 Machinery £10,500 £158,507 Alterations to Bridges ' 1,200 £159,707 ■ . ■i.'o be raised by loan" by the County Council .....'. £BO,OOO From these figures it will be seen that the County Council's policy of waiting for the operation of the Main 1 [ighwnys scheme is about to come to fruition and that the County ha.s every prospect of having tihe main roads brought up to the requirements of modern" traffic within the next three years. A more extended reference to the matter will 'appear in a later issue of the "Chronicle," as ihe betterment of the roads is a subject in which town and country are equally interested, and the question is pro. bably the most topical in local body circles at the present time.