HOROWHENUA HIGHWAYS

Shannon News, 11 December 1928, Page 3

HOROWHENUA HIGHWAYS

RENEWED ACTIVITIES IN VIEW EARLY CONSTRUCTION WORK o}i FOXTON ROAD. attention to bridges. A large portion of the business at the meeting of the Horowhenua County Council on Saturday concerned the Main Highways, on which construction work is to be resumed as soon as necessary preliminaries have been completed. An engineering survey is being carried out on the Levin-Wirokmo road to Foxton, and plans for three miles of the work are to be submitted to the Highways Board next month for approval. The Board is seeking information from the Council on various matters, which indicate a pcnoi of much activity in the coming yeai. BOARD’S REQUIREMENTS. The District Engineer (Mr R. H. P. Ronayne) wrote asking when ne might receive, -for approval purposes, plans of bridges to he renewed on the Wellington-Auckland via Taranaki Highway in the County, also the plans for the widening and paving from Levin to the Wirokino Bridge. • On the motion of the chairman, the matter was referred to the County Engineer. , _ . The monthly repprt by the County Engineer (Mr J. T. M. Brewster) on the highways was as under:—ENGINEER’S REPORT. The monthly report by the County Engineer (Mr J. T. M. Brewster) on the highways was as under:-

MAIN HIGHWAY NO. 1

' General maintenance, 1 where . required, has been carried out on this road. Owing to the 'Levin-Foxton Highway being impassable on account of flood waters from the Manawatu River being over the road on the northern side of the bridge, maintenance has not been as heavy as usual. The Assistant Engineer has been engaged on the engineering survey of a portion, of the Levin-Wirokino Main Highway. It is proposed to complete plans for three miles of this highway and submit them, to the Main HighwaysBoard for approval. Estimates for the completion or Otaki Bridge to Jubilee Road, D’Ath’s and Bdvan’s deviations, Staples’ deviation, Waikawa and Ohau , Railway Crossings, together with plans and specifications of the proposed flood water overflow culvert near Otaki Bridge, have been submitted to the Main Highways. Board for approval. MAIN, HIGHWAY NO. 59. During the mon'th, flood waters from the Manawatu River were oyer tins road and blocked traffic. After the waters subsided, a considerable amount of silt was left on the road surface, which had to be scooped off.

MAIN HIGHWAY NO. 60,

General maintenance has been carried out on/ this road. Maintenance metal has been placed on the road between Makerua and North Boundary and Shannon to Wirokirto Biding Boundary; The foundation work to receive pavement' has been completed between Shannon aind Makerua. A -bridge near Makerua got broken, and is receiving attention by renewing one sill, five ‘stringers, new decking and a quantity of sheathing. Owing |to the Levin-Foxtfon Bond being closed to" all -traffic for a portion of the month, No. 60 Highway had to carry all through traffic, and quite an amount of damage was done to decking on several of the bridges. Maintenance has b<Jen placed .on Potts Hill, and the spring at the foot of the Hill attended to.

TRANSFER OF {SUBSUMES

Reporting on the question of the transfer of Main Highways Board subsidies on No. 60 Highway, the Works Committee stated that, after duo con sideration of the prospective expenuditure between the present time and March 31st next, it was of opinion that it would ntft be necessary to make any transfer of subsidies for the current financial year. Thle Chairman loommented that it was thought by the Committee that, as there was only about three months left, ,it would be impossible to spend a greater sum than that' already alloeat ed. ' The report was adopted.

IMPROVING BAD CORNERS.

Replying to a request by the Council for a grant, 'or grants, for improving dangerous corners, the Highways Board wrote that it would like a' schedule of the corners which the Council had in mind and a report as to the necessity for the improvement. It would be necessary to submit plans and estimates, and the improvements proposed should form paft of the final alignment of the road at these points. The Chairman (Mr Monk) said that he was rather pleased with this letter. Apparently the Board would be prepared to consider the (question of making.grants almost immediately for the relieving of any very dangevous places. This was a matter that might be referred to the Works Committee to. take up* with the Engineer, and when works that had to be done immediately were put in hand it could be gone into. It was not possible to submit plans at the moment. The Chairman's suggestion was agreed to. . SURVEY OF FOXTON ROAD. Or. Kilsby moved that a survey of all corners on No! 1 Highway be made, to enable land to be taken where necessary (for easing such coroners—all work to be done as one piece. He

stated that-where land had had to be taken in the past on the Highways, ir had often happened that a permanent survey had had to be broken, at those particular, spots. The Council had some very intricate survey work to do between Levin and the Wirokino budge •particularly in dealing with some ot the Maori property, more especia ly on the northern-end. There were some very bad corners, and it would entai. a good deal of time and expense to get the work done in readiness tor the permanent survey. He would ask that those particular portions be ; expedited. There were several bad corners not far from Levin, one being at Heatherlea, where he understood that the owner was prepared to afford facilities [for easin'g. The (speaker was willing to approach the property-own-ers concerned at this end of the road, and he thought that some agreement could be reached. Cr, Gimblett seconded the motion He pointed out that, in connection with some of the deviations on. the other Highway, it had taken quite a long ;time to get. the titles, to allow the work t.o go ahead. He hoped that the survey would be pushed on with if possible, it s i .;*•: ENGINEERS TO MAKE JOINT INSPECTION.

The chairman stated' that Cr. Kilsby already had this motion on the minutebook. The chairman took up the attitude that the County Engineer was going to do the very best he could in '.regard to having the survey carried out and the work done in the most suitable way for his men and plant. .While the Council might give a direction to the Engineer in an advisory manner, it should not bind him down to do certain frvork which might be in conflict with the whole work. It had to be remembered that there were other sections of work which still had to be done. There were very necessary plans to prepare for -bridges on the main road, and the officer who was to do the survey was the same man who was doing most of the plan work for the bridges. A fact which it would be pleasing for the Council to know was' that the District Engineer (Mr Ronayne) and the Engineer for the Board (Mr Tyndall), with the County Engineer, proposed to make a preliminaiy survey ’ themselves as to what corners they thought should be taken off and as to easing the alignment of the road on the Levin-Wirokino section. When that had -been done he had no doubt that Mr Brewster would give instructions for the further survey to be made. That was a practical way out of the difficulty. Undoubtedly the inspection would be made at a very early date and the County Engineer would have the survey then made to show the. land necessary to be taken, and the s road work could proceed. The Engineer: The whole of the Wirokino section.

Cr. Gimblett: It will be only a preliminary survey to define where the road is going? The Chairman: We have to have the kjnovvledge of the constructional en-. gineers in places, and they will send ,a surveyor to survey the road, and that soon.

Cr. Catley: Tlif l should be going on at once.

The Chairman: Quite so; but three miles of survey have already been done.

Cr. Catley: If it is intended to have three miles completed, then, in order to call tenders early for construction, we should have the corners defined. I should like to see some of that work gone on with before the'winter; it will ease unemployment. The Engineer stated that plans for the three miles wore under wav and he hoped 'that they would be practically completed before Christmas. Tendcis could not be called until these had been before the Board; they would be submitted not later than the middle of .January. It was intended to have deviation at the Heatherlea corner.

The motion was not proceeded with

TRAFFIC SIGNPOSTS,

In answer to the Council’s suggestion that the Automobile Clubs should contribute towards the cost of erection of signposts prescribed iby the Motor Vehicle Regulations, the 1 Wellington Automobile Club wrote that the request was considered by its executive, which could not see its way clear to grant a contribution in this particular district at present. —Received. n

The District Engineer (Mr R. H. P. Ror.ayne) wrote informing the Council that no further authority was required for the erection of the signposts, the erection of which would be subsidised as maintenance on a £2 for £1 basis. —Received. PAINTING OF BRIDGES. The attention of the Council was called to the Otalci Bridge by the District Engineer, who wrote stating that he recently inspected the bridge and came to the conclusion that it was badly in need of a coat of paint. The steel work was rusting badly, and the galvanised iron sheathing over the main members of the structure were showing signs of rust. He requested _ the Council to arrange to have the bridge painted as soon as possible, a £2 for £1 subsidy (being available for this work. Red bitumartic paint or tar might be used for the steel‘work; and the Department could supply a specia 1 paint for the wood work, the Council being asked to state the, area of the woodwork to be covered. The chairman suggested that . the matter be referred to the Engineer, for an estimate of the cost. When that was procured, steps could be taken accordingly. Cr. Kilsby:* What about the Ohau bridge? The Chairman: This is the first one we are called on to do. The Ohau is not such an old one. Cr. Gimblett said that when the late Mr James Prouse was County

Chairman ha said there was a duty which this Council had to watch very carefully, and that was the painting of its bridges. In reply to a question by Cr. Jensen, the Chairman said that the total life of the Otaki Bridge was probably GO years.

The . Engineer stated that the Highways Board estimated the life of a wooden bridge.now at 25 years.

The chairman remarked that he was a member of the Mounted Rifles escort about 29 years ago when the late Mr Seddon came to open the bridge. The motion to refer the Board’s letter to the Engineer, for an estimate, was carried. •

REQUEST TO LEVIN BOROUGH

COUNCIL,

It was resolved, on the recommendation of the Works Committee that the Levin Borough Council be asked if they would be prepared to bear half the cost of installing a culvert near the Borough boundary at Oxford Street North, which was the subject of their letter of the 22nd May last, the estimated cost being £ls; .should a contribution be received from the Main Highways Board, the local bodies’ share to be correspondingly reduced.

NEW BITUMEN SPRAYER,

The Works Committee recommended that the Engineer be authorised to obtain larger wheels for the new bitumen sprayer.—Tie recommendation was adopted.

SUSPENSION OF WORK DURING

CHRISTMAS SEASON,

The Council decided, on the WorkCommittee’s recommendation, that Main Highway construction operations be suspended froir. midday on December 22nd to January 2nd, inclusive. The Engineer stated that this was advisable owipg to the abnormal amount, of traffic that the roads would be carrying during the holidays.

BRIDGE PLANKING

Cr. Barber asked that some attention be given to the running planks and deck-ends on several bridges, mentioning the Waitohu and Ohau bridges in particular. He stated that in certain cases the inner plank ;on each side was wearing badly and should'be replaced. The matter was referred to the Engineer for investigation. C'r. Jensen intimated that he would move, at the next meeting of the Coun eil, the motion that was lost at a previous meeting, in the direction of having all bridges declared County bridges.