ROAD OUTLET

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23923, 25 March 1941, Page 8

ROAD OUTLET

THE SOUTHERN ROUTE SCHEME FOR FUTURE CITY ENGINEER'S REPORT PROBABLE COST £1,052,000 A new scheme for the long-contem-plated south-eastern arterial road outlet from Auckland, drawn up by the city engineer, Mr. J. Tyler, under an arrangement with the Public Works; Department, was made public yestorday by the Mayor, Sir Ernest Davis. J In releasing Mr. Tyler's report, Sir j Ernest said that the investigation and j route-survey bad been undertaken in j November, 1939, at his instance, after | he bad inspected the magnificent traffic outlet from Wellington to Paekakariki; through the Ngahauranga Gorge. Do j had felt, and the City Council had, agreed with him, that a corresponding, scheme for Auckland should fie pie-: pared with a view to its execution in f the period of rehabilitation after the war. Government's Approval The investigation had been undertaken with the full approval of the > Public Works Department, said Sir i Ernest, find liall the cost was being j borne by the Government. He regaided the outlet as complementary to a scheme for improving the arterial highway further south, which greatly needed widening and re-alignment to bring it up to modern standards. The route proposed by Mr Tyler differs from all those previously considered, in that it bv-passes Otahuhu completely l»v crossing the lamaki I'iver at Paninure and joins the Great South Road in the vicinity of Redoubt Road. . TJ , Leaving the waterfront road in Hobson Hnv, tin- route follows the railway on its northern side across the bay and Orakei Basin, and up Purewa Creek to St. John's Road, and thence to lamaki station, eastward of Mount Wellington. From that point it leaves the railway and passes under Pilkington Road to join the Paninure Highway just north of the approach to the Tamaki _ River Bridge. After crossing the river, it continues in easy country near the eastern bank of the river to Preston s Road, which it follows for three and a-half | miles in a straight line to the Great South Road. Only Hal! a Mild Longer The total length of the route from the waterfront road junction is approximately 122 miles, and from the toot of Queen Street the distance is only half a mile longer than by the present route. . , , Apart from the maximum grade oi one in 15. approaching the St. John's Road ridge from either side, the road would have very easy grades, Mr. Tyler states. Among a number of its advantages are that it. is through relatively open and undeveloped country, except at Paninure, that it avoids industrial areas, that for a long distance the railway prevents access demands, that it could be generously designed for fast traffic with few intersections, and that it will open up large areas of land suitable for suburban settlement. Speed of 60 Miles an Hour Mr. Tvler proposes that in the more, difficult country between the waterfront road and St. John's Road the total width should be 90ft., made up of two 22ft. carriageways on either side of a 6ft. centre strip, two Tift, protection strips, two Oft. cycle tracks and two Rft. footpaths. Over the remainder of the route the carriageways would he widened to bring the total width to 120 ft. The road should be designed throughout, in his opinion, for a speed of 60 miles an hour, and modern practice should be followed in planning the junctions, which would probably number only about seven. The estimated total cost of the road, with concrete carriageways and bituminous footpaths and cycle tracks, is given as £1,052,120. This includes £'151,000 for reinforced concrete bridges over the Tamaki River and Paknranga Creek. The cost cf the actual road construction is apportioned as follows: —Waterfront road to Auckland City boundary, 4.65 miles, £473,700; city boundary to Tamaki River. 1.20 miles. £05.120; Tamaki River to Great South Road, 6.81 miles. £329,300.