RANGITIKEI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taihape Daily Times, 31 January 1918, Page 7

RANGITIKEI COUNTY COUNCIL.

ENGINEER'S REPORT FOR JANUARY. Mr. Sydney A. Mair, County Engineer, reports as follows on the roads in this district for the month of January: TEKAPUA RIDING. Good progress has been made with gravelling on Pukeopou Road, and tlia work should he completed early next month. Repairs to Murray's TracK will be put in hand before the teams leave for Makino Road. Gravelling Pukenaua and AamuCul roads has progressed fairly well durthe month. Owing to wet weather the roller could not get to the crusher stand, but it is .now in position, and has started crushing the coarser portion of the ballast.

Herewith I beg to submit a 'SpecTfl! Rating District for gravelling McDonnell Road, Taihape. It will be necessary to get 'the ballast from Ohingaiti for this work, therefore it cannot be carried out till after next winter. The contractor fcr Baird's Road has not done,much during the month. The bridge over Otaihape stream Has been built, and men are now engaged filling in ° AWARUA RIDING. Tenders have been invited for gravelling balance of Tuhoe Road Extension. Mr. Manson, the contractor for the far end of the road, not being able to make suitable arrangements for paddocking his hcrses, decided to proceed with his contract at Rata, in preference to this one. He has agreed to forego the balance of the contract upon certain terms, and I have included this work in the new contract. This is really more suitable, as all the ballast has to come from the same pit, and two contractors could not work in it simultaneously. The contractor for Tee Toe RoaC Extension is working £irigle T handed, so little progress has been made

The towers for Too Toe bridge are now completed, and the men are putting in the anchors. I have secured the tctara timber for the bridge in the King Country, and some of it is now awaiting my inspection before being delivered.

The . v/ater cut in Inland Road is about completed.

I have laid out the sites of proposed suspension bridges over Hikurangl and Upper' Kawhatau rivers, anc made preliminary estimates for cart traffic bridges. The Hikurangi will require a span of 160 ft, and the Kawhatau 180 ft. I propose to build both bridges on the stiffened suspension principle, towers and anchors to be or concrete, and superstructure totara, with 8 wire ropes IS inches in diameter to each bridge I estimate the two structures with approaches and road formation to connect, to cost £2200. The ropes would be diseased tramway cables unless the war should terminate, when no doubt galvanised plough steel ropes would again b e available at a reasonable" price. EREWHON RIDING. The grader is now trimming up roads in Pukeokahu district. Timber has been sent out to repair decking of bridges on MoawhangoErewhon Road, and the work is now in hand.