BOROUGH ENGINEER'S REPORT.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 April 1919, Page 7

BOROUGH ENGINEER'S REPORT.

WORK CARRIED OUT. The follo'witig is a summary of the chief works carried out by the engineer's department of the New "Plymouth Borough Council, is set forth in the engineer's annual report:— , Roads Metalled.—Tukapo road, from borough boundary to Wallace Place (12 feet, wide); short length in South road, near Johnson's store (average IS feet; j Fraukley road, borough houndViry to Dawson street (12 feet); Avenue road, borough boundary to Heudrie street • (12 tn 18 feet); Eliot street from Hehdrie to Devon street (18 feet); Courtenay street from Liardet to Powderhaui street (33 feet);' Puwderhom street, from Dawson street, to Robe street (33 feet); Powderham street, from Currie street to Brougham street (33 feet); Robe street, from Vivian street to Bulteel street [iveiige 13 feet); Young street, from Outfield to Morley street (12 feet); Carriiigtoh road, Vivian to near Pcndarvies street (average 22 feet); Lemon Street, front Liardet to Gover street completed (13 feet); Mangorei road, from Rimu street to borough boundary (12 feet to 14 feet); Liardet street, from Devon to CaiirteMy street (33 feet); cattle route , Leach street, completed and gravelled; widening Mangorei road; gravelling five chains Mill road; tunnel cut into hill for benziric storage; widening embankment for Waiwaka" Terrace. The total length of roadways metalled is 470 chains or just tinder six milesThis entailed hauling approximately 10,000 cubic yards metal and blinding. The following roadways have been tarred for the first time, two coats of tar and gravel being applied: Courtenay, Powderham, part of Dawson, Wallace Place, Tukapd/ Avenue, Eliot, Frsmkley, Carrihgton to Vivian street, a length of five miles 46 chains. -This length, of course, had to be travelled over twice. The area 'of each coat is 61,500 Square yards, or a total of, 123,000 square yards for tlie double coating. 35,800 gallons of tar were used and 068 cubic yards of gravel and sand. The cost estimated at 9d per square yard, cost about lid per square yard, wnich must be considered satisfactory in the light that tar, freights, gravel and wages all rode in' p'rie'e' ju'st before and during progress of wofi?. Other tarring work included Standisli Hill and several footpaths, also: the niak'ing of tarred macadam. Tarring over grtoi gravel has not proved very successful «o far as roads are eoricerfie'd, tilt until a prope* test can been made I hesitate to actually condemn 1 it as being unfit for tar work altogether. o*ther work of this nature commenced in. the laying of portions of Devon street where patching the surface would be both costly and, in my opinion, a future failure.

I wish t6 disabuse the impression wnich: seems to prevail /in some quarters that I am an advocate against patching, I am, and always have been, against patching completely worn out macadamised roads as when they are in such a stat? of disrepair that it is difficult to' find a place that does not require patching; for instance, Frankley road of last year, which hardly had more than lin to I'/iin depth of stone over long lengths. One has only to look at portion of G6veft Avenue. Cameron road, parts of Gilbert street and scores of others to see what I mean. Again take as ft specimen the east end of Currie" street, the north side of Gill street, both tarred roads worn out down the centreIn such cases patching to be lasting would actually cost more than to resurface out of face from end to end with tarred materials'. Where orilv isolated holes apneaT or worn places thert "patching must be restated to, for it would be ft foolish policy to wait for the whole road to wear out. To pvft the matter" concisely, where patching is more costly (or bound to end in failure) than for resurfacing, I consider it wise to adopt the latter.