MAIN HIGHWAYS

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21121, 23 March 1934, Page 20

MAIN HIGHWAYS

WORK IN CANTERBURY BRIDGES COMPLETED AND IN HAND Much work on the reconstruction fci main highways in Canterbury ■will be put in hand shortly, tenders ior paving contracts having closed in several instances. Tenders have been received for sealing work on Bassett street and Travis road from Burwood to North Beach. A first sealing coat was put on the Ashley-Leithfield road some i.jonths ago, and tenders have been received for applying the second coat. The acceptance of a tender for sealing the road between Leithfield and Waipara will be decided in a day or two. Tenders are to be invited for the bitumen sealing or paving of the road between Halswell and Tai Tanu. Half of the work will be in Halswell county and half in Paparua county. Regarding the subsidy on the paving work proposed to be carried out by the Paparua County Council on the Upper Riccarton-Arthurs Pass road beyond Russley road, Mr P. Langbein, District " Engineer, Public Works Department, stated yesterday that the usual subsidy paid by the Main Highways Board y.as £2 for £1 for bitumen sealing, but special provision was made ia the case of important roads radiating from a large centre, and : preferential subsidy of £3 for ■LI was made in those instances. As most of the sealing work done to date had been on those important roads there appeared to be an impression gained that £3 for £1 ■was the usual subsidy. Representations had been made by the Paparua County Council for the preferential subsidy, but the board could not grant it. The road carried the preferential subsidy to Russley road, but not beyond it.

Bridge "Work in Hand and Completed A bridge has just been finished ever the north branch of the Waimakariri river, and another one is to be built beyond Kaikoura. The new Girder bridge over the r.orth branch of the Waimakariri has been finished by the contractor, •Mr W. A. Smart, "and the Eyre County Council is about to start the work of building the approaches. A contract has been let to Messrs Johnston and Strahl, of Kaikoura, for the building of the Black Miller bridge beyond Kaikoura, between the Hapuku and Clarence rivers. There is a dangerous temporary bridge at present, but that will be eliminated by a single span reiniorced concrete structure 30ft long.