THE BRIDGE SPAN.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 223, 20 September 1929, Page 10

THE BRIDGE SPAN.

ADVANTAGES OVER TUNNEL INTERESTS OF DEVONPORT. ASSOCIATION ADDRESSES. At the invitation of the Waitemata Chamber of Commerce, Mr. R. H. Greville (president) and Mr. S. Jones, hon. engineer to the Harbour Bridge Association, gave an address last evening. Mr. Greville said that one would infer from the report published of remarks made by Mr. Harkness at a previous meeting that that gentleman had said three tunnels could be built under the harbour fo- the cost of a bridge. He was quite sure Mr. Harkness made no such statement. Mr. T. Walsh (president of the chamber), who presided, supported Mr. Greville in this correction.

The speaker then dealt at length with the bridge proposal in relation to its benefits to North Shore generally, and to Devonport's business interests in particular. He contended that the latter suburb would gain by northward development, and that increased population would mean increased trade. By the Shoal Bay route the bridge would bring Devonport within four to five miles of the city, an uninterrupted motor run of fifteen minutes. Many peole would then be glad to live near the seaside. Although the bridge would mean the abolition of the vehicular ferry service, the association had never claimed that the direct crossing would get all the passenger traffic. Any loss 011 this account conceivably would be compensated for by greater Devonport prosperity. A tunnel of equal capacity to the proposed bridge, said Mr. Jones, would cost, according to latest tunnel construction methods, in the vicinity of £1.000,000, which would be more than double the cost of the bridge. The great disadvantages of a tunnel, however, were high maintenance costs, the difficulty of obtaining efficient ventilation (this being accentuated in modern times by the unavoidable prevention of deadly carbon monoxide gases exuded from motor vehicles) and the cost of lighting and drainage. Above these considerations was the fact that people preferred fresh air, sunshine and scenic views to the necessity of travelling underground.

Jt was also pointed out that the bridge proposed by the association would take off from sea level or thereabouts from the edge of the western reclamation, and consequently no long approach, such as Mr. Harkness had mentioned, would be necessary. "The approaches arc there already," added Mr. Jones

Many questions were answered, and Mr. Kennings, in moving a vote of thanks, said the officers of the association were deserving of public appreciation for the time and energy they were infusing in support of the bridge movement.