SHANNON BRIDGE.

Shannon News, 17 February 1925, Page 3

SHANNON BRIDGE.

MAIN HIGHWAY I MAY BE DECLARED NOT MAIN HttitiWjA^ Tlie following letter reqeiyed trom Mr J. Hannan, District .Engineer to tine Puioiic W.orfcs Dejiauineni, was beiore tne Horownenua gounty Counvil at Saturday's, meeting:— "In connection with tue question oi re-ibi/idgijng 4he 'Majlawatu jtuver i have been instructed \by the Main riignways Board to advise local bodies concerned that when the annual review of roads to he declared Main highways is being made in April next; there is a possibilUy of. was road i>eing deleted from me list ot highways, in view of. the laot that it is. not considered to possess the same, national, knporitance as. other mam mgnways, and also in view of tne fact that there is direct communication .between Shannon and Fannerston North.

It is important that local authorities should consider this aspect when dealing with the question of restoraufon of means of communication other than t!he punt, which, has already been built. "Tne Board decided at its last meeting ftp (contribute ona-third of the cost of erecting the punt and constructing the approach roads thereto."

The chairman (Ci\ Q. A. Monk) stated that at 'the conference recently iheld at Shannon it was deaden tnat a new. bridge should be bum. the question touched upon in this letter had been raised at that meeting. Regarding the re.-building of tne new bridge, if this road were cut out of the main highways sciheme, whicn was not likely, at least half o*. tbe money 'for the bridge would have to ibe supplied iby Government grant. It was certain that the bridge could not be built otherwise. He. was extremely doubtful that the road would 'be taken out of the (highways scheme. It 2iad been recommended by tne District Council alter serious consideration, and very serious reasons would have to be brought forward before it would be possible to remove it from the list. He did not think for a moment that the Main Highways Board was throwing out this suggestion from any desire to avoid paying their s'hare towards the reconstruction of the Shannon Bridge, which in the total expenditure involved throughout the country was a mere flea-bite, ibut the tact remained that such a move was. under consideration, and it ibehoved flhe local bodies, interested to see that adequate protest was made. This road was the direct means «ot communication between the railway and the port o* Foxton, and they would have to "« wiiat they could tQ retain it. This view, was unanimously agreed with by the Council.