HIGHWAY SOUTH

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 165, 13 July 1940, Page 13

HIGHWAY SOUTH

WIDENING SCHEME.

MANY DEVIATIONS.

BIG CURVE AT PENROSE

THE OTAHUHU BOTTLENECK,

A it hough no announcement has been mode of (ho intention to proceed immediately with the new formation of the (■rent South Road, which involved an engineering project of major importance, plan- for 1 ho first section have reached an advanced stage. These involve a long deviation from the present highway from Harp o' Krin to a point beyond Pcnro-e. eliminating the treacherous S-bridge over the railway at Penrose Junction, and a number of badly -graded curve*. The delation will start at a point on the ll.it approximately half-way between the KilorsUe Kire Station and the Penrose overhead bridge. It will then swing north in a gentle curve, crossing the line at (ihisgow lioad. which is near Green Park loxi'l. This will involve a new bridge which will be approached by a long ramp. The deviation will avoid'the Penrose industrial area, which is a rapidly expanding one. and will pass through open country, where there will be no difficulty in securing the required width nf soft and perhaps more. At Penrose the road wi.ll puss between the glassworks and the P.W.D. sub-station and will join the present highway at a point near the Hume Pipe Company's property. The shurp curves between the Penrose overbridge ami the point where the deviation rejoins the highway will thus be cut out. The road from here to Ann's Bridge at Wcstlield is straight, but both the road and the bridge w ill have to be widened. Otahuhu Project. A scheme to pass the highway behind Otahuhu is being investigated* at the present time, and is bound up in a measure with the proposed new eastern outlet from Auckland. Otahuhu is a bottleneck for traffic, and the new scheme envisages the highway deviating at Ann's bridge through the back of Mount Richmond, then running parallel with t he present highway, which it would joiw at the VVaitemata Brewery corner. This would involve the building "of a new bridge over the Tamaki Stream. From this point the present highway is cf good alignment, although improvements would have to be made to some of the cumer*. The next point of interest is nt Wiri, and here a deviation plan wa< approved sonic years ago. from near the Wiri Post Office" to a little north of the Wiri Bridge. This will straighten

out the present meandering road, with the somewhat severe curves. It will also be necessary to widen the bridge. Tl • Mahia overbridge, south of Manu;ewa, will also require to be leplaced. This is one of the bridges with a double curve, dangerous to modern traffic, and it is proposed to make the road straight and build a straight bridge over the line. The Papakura Stream bridge near the golf links will also have to be widened. Tironui Deviation. The next major deviation, also practically approved, is at Tironui. It runs ott" from the junction of Grove Road, which leads to the Papakura motor! camp, and the road takes a straight line to the boundary of the I'apakurp borough, cutting out three severe bends. The total effect of the various deviations between Auckland and Papakura will be to shorten the distance by only a few chains, because the general route of the present road is so good. However, the e'imination of bends and bottleneck' will make the highway a more efficient one. Representatives of the Automobile Association (Auckland) have suggested that instead of an 80ft highway the width should be increased to 110 ft* thua bringing it into line with the most modern overseas motor roads. The present road is 86ft, but the concrete traffic track is only 26ft wide. With an 80ft road there would be 50ft of paving. The suggestion made by the association is that the tracks for north and south traffic should be further apart, giving plenty of room for turning off across the oncoming traffic to eide roads, and making it .easier to increase the width of the paved strips in the future if required.

New Lighting System. The stretch where it is proposed to start, nearest Auckland, will be practically straight, but several shops will have to be moved back to secure the stipulated width. On this section of the road gas and water mains, power cables and telegraph wires will have to be moved. A sodium form of lighting will be installed ovi-r the roadway, so that a substantial improvement in visibility at night is contemplated. .Present plans provide for a 4ft wide central island raised above the traffic surface, grasped and planted with lowgrowing shrubs, to separate the two northern lanes of traffic from the two travelling south. A cycle track is also proposed, and this will also be separated from the four-wheel traffic section of the highway.