RAKAIA BRIDGE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 March 1939, Page 7

RAKAIA BRIDGE

OPENED BY MINISTER TODAY. AN IMPORTANT ROAD LINK. (By T^lpcrrn^h— Pt-psc A wsnHatlon • CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. T’hr 1 mmistp’- of Publ’o Works. Pm Hon R. Semple, officially opened the n r w traffic bridge across the Rakaia. The occasion is of great importance to all who use the main south highway. The bridge consists of 144 spans, each nominally 40ft in length. The bridge ; s the longest in New Zealand, being S7f>2ft in B' in o cubic varfis concrete and 1100 tons of steel were (>«ed, A total of 17.400 ft or almost ‘b’-oe miles and a half of concrete riles were driven. Mr Semple said ‘b P t the co=t of the work was a charge mi (ho ma : n highways fund entirely nnr) the Highways Board deserved p’-odit for lhe provision of such a fm° -(-nctjiro. With the old bridge there hnrl boon occasions when road traffic was much inconvenienced. It bad moicrjctc m Im-m os an boip- tn trail a flock of s h onp am-nss lhe bridge end evorv motorist in Canterbury could recollect being hold up to awab lhe passing of trains. Those days had passed.