ASHBURTON ROADS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 99, 7 February 1936, Page 7

ASHBURTON ROADS

PLANS FOR IMPROVEMENT. CANCEROUS STATE OF BRIDGES. Plans for paying and highways improvement over a period of five years were submitted to the Ashburton County Council at its meeting to-day by the engineer (Mr H. A. Vezey) in a supplementary report. He also drew attention to the dangerous state of some of the bridges in the County. The following is a list of main highways which might require to be paved during the next five years, he reported : Ashburton-Methyen : 17 miles 23 chains; Ashburton-Wakanui (Ashbur-ton-Wakanui Hall) 5 miles 24 chains; Longbeach Road (South Road to Surveyors’ Road) 6 miles 18 chains; Tin-wald-Mayfield via Westerfield 17 miles 40 chains. “At a round figure estimate of £I6OO a mile for preparation and sealing, and with interest at 4.25 per cent and sinking fund at 12.565 per cent, the annual cost to this Council over a period of seven years, for the quarter share, would be £67: 5s per mile. Therefore the annual charge on each of the above lengths would be: Asli-burton-Methven £1162; AshburtonWakanui £356; Longbeach Road £419; Tinwald-Mayfield £1177. “In connection with new bridges which may he necessary within the next five years, there are two structures which should be replaced immediately; the wooden bridge oyer the flood channel at Rakaia Gorge which is in an advanced stage of decay, and the Hinds River bridge on the PictonBluff main highway which owing to its insufficient width and poor visibility is a danger on a much used highway. “The following is a list of roads recommended for declaration as main highways. The list is subdivided into (a) roads at present wholly controlled by the County, '(b) roads at present controlled by roads boards, (e) roads controlled by the County, partly by road boards:—

(a) Lamiston Hoad Mis Chs 6 46 Ashburton Gorge Road • (Mt Somers-Hakatere) 14 60 Graham’s Roadi 12 28 Seafield Road 12 20 Mitcham-Lauriston Road 4 40 Hinds-Rangitata Mouth (Coldstream Road) ... 13 47 Wakanui Road 4 — Ealing-Maronan Road ... Ford’s Road 9 20 6 60 (b) Higjibank-Mt Hutt (Mt Hutt Road Board) ... 8 12 (Low’s Corner to Thomas’ Corner) Lowcliffe * Coldstream (Coldstream Road Bd) 2 50 (Extension of M.M. Isleworth Road). (c) Pole Road (Mt Hutt Road Board 4 miles 70 chains) 9 72 (Lauriston Rd. to Jn. M.H. Ashburton-Met liven). Mitcham Road (South Rakaia Rd. Bd., 3 miles 50 chains) 10 63