BRIDGE RENEWALS

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 133, 7 June 1935, Page 8

BRIDGE RENEWALS

IMMENSE TASK.

HIGHWAY BOARD PROBLEM

GREATER ACTIVITY DISCLOSED

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, this day,

A recent list of tenders accepted by the Public Works Department included contracts for 17 bridges on highways under the control of the Main Highways Board. This represented two months' allocations, and is a marked advance on the construction programme hitherto followed by the board. Several years ago its finances were severely curtailed owing to the general Budgetary stress, and in 1932 the board sounded a warning that the bridge renewal programme was getting dangerously in arrear.

Mr. C. J. McKenzie, engineer-in-cliief of the Public Works Department and chairman of the Main Highways Board, when interviewed by the " Star " correspondent on the subject, explained that the bridge position was improving. "We were faced some years ago with the fact that a large number of bridges had reached the end of their useful life,'' said Mr. McKenzie, "and tlie board formulated a minimum programme of renewing 0000 lineal feet of bridges per annum in order to catch up with the position. The total number of bridges requiring renewal waa 500, and we have made a fair amount of progress with the scheme, the completion of this year's programme covering 185 bridges out of the total. Not only were many of these bridges old, but they were too narrow for the conditions of modern traffic. The programme involved renewal of 9000 feet per annum, but the board was not able to carry out this plan when it "as originally formulated. Now better progress is being made." Bridge Depreciation. When the Main Highways Board had been functioning for eight years, it reported generally on the bridge problem of the Dominion in 1932, stating that as the result of its experience and the inspection of three thousand bridges, the replacements for the coining ten years would have to be at the rate of 9000 feet per annum. There had been 11,175 feet of renewals in the preceding, year, but immediately on adopting its programme the board's funds were reduced, and renewals in the year 1931-32 dropped to 4000 feet.

Last year the hoard described bridge renewal as its most serious problem. "Improvements to the highways may he postponed," it stated, "but replacements of bridges cannot be avoided. Seventysix per cent of the bridging in New Zealand is of timber, and consequently bridge depreciation is a heavy item." It stated that the year's renewals were 10,000 lineal feet behind the requirements of the programme, and that although most of the year's construction funds would be devoted to bridge renewals, the amount available would bo quite inadequate to enable any leeway to bo made up. and indeed would be insufficient to meet the normal and necessary programme.

The greater activity disclosed of recent months is an indication of more elasticity in highways finance and it is understood that with the plans in hand the hoard anticipates that thorp is reasonable prospect of completing half the programme of renewals which it regarded in 1932 as urgent.