NEW RAKAIA BRIDGE

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 21, 6 November 1935, Page 6

NEW RAKAIA BRIDGE

ALLOCATION OF THE COST. ASHBURTON COUNTY £6OOO. (Special to the “Guardian.”) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. Among the correspondence dealt with at a meeting of the Ellesmere County Council on Monday was a letter from the Public Works Department intimating that it was intended to proceed with the building of a new traffic bridge over the Ilakaia River on the Main South road in the near future. The allocation of the cost was a matter which required attention at once and on the basis that the total cost would be £70,000, it was proposed that the Highways Board should provide £62,000 and the local authorities interested the balance £8337. " 1 This has been allocated as follows: Ashburton County £6OOO, Selwyn County £1555, Ellesmere County £778. The maintenance costs on the new structure would be based on a similai proportion. , , i Speaking of the provision ot the money, the engineer said there was no -immediate hurry, as it would he two years before the bridge would be comP Mr Anderson reminded members that the council had some time ago protested to the Government against any shortening of bridges over the Rakaia, which would mean curtailing the area of the river in flood-time. Such a restriction would endanger the council’s waterworks intake and also increase the risk of flood damage between the bridge and the sea. _ The engineer 'was asked to bring this matter to the notice of the Public Works Department.