STYX RAILWAY BRIDGE

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21813, 19 June 1936, Page 10

STYX RAILWAY BRIDGE

GOVERNMENT PLAljg CRITICISED | ■ r 1§ allegation OF WASH': OF MONEY 1 * PROPOSAL DEFENDS) Bfl MR F. LANGBEHI ■yThe proposed overhead ndhn«y crossing road bridge at Styx, to cat £BOOO, was adversely criticised at yesterday’s meeting of the Highways District CounciL -Jft action was taken, and two membe* 5 f the council, Mr F. LangbeH Of) chairman, and Mr F. W, Freema* defended the plan as warmly ft jthers had attacked it. . The discussion was opened by Ift (V. J. Walter, who submitted thft he proposal was unnecessary »d j waste of money. He would'ftr rather see the £BOOO spent on •oads themselves, he said. ( Mr H. Tallott, Rangiora, agreed md suggested that a crossing-keep*. :ould safeguard motorists equally well, and. at much less cost. He said ie supposed the meeting could pa* i resolution condemning the pea?

posal. Mr Langbein: You can do wart you like. All I will say is that I hope in 12 months’ time when the work is finished and a success, mem* hers will withdraw remarks that have been passed and apologise foe th Mr Tallott said he would apdlogilt if he found the bridge such a suecess and another member said J» fault was found with the the bridge, but only with the pie* posal to build it at all. i Mr Freeman said that he tooaffi the Government was acting wisely in arranging for the bridge to be built. It was proposed ax®e? or later to complete the South Island Main Trunk line, and with dination of transport there worta be much more rail traffic. If tofl» was to be a crossing-keeper systm established, three shifts would haw to be worked a day, and toe «% pense of that would be non, « considered than the capital earthy the bridge. He had seen the desfea of the bridge, and approved it very much. He thought criticism of the proposal to eliminate level-croSangß was as wrong as had been critidab of the first tar-sealing proposals » the province. . > , Several members said that in torty opinion there was much more ntoilj for bridges on the Main South rowL/r than there was north of the aty./1 After'.more discussion on df'' problem of railway crossings gtodp ally, it was resolved on the nctits of Mr Freeman that the meet- 1 ing agreed with the necessity , fat speedy prosecution of either t&d elimination of railway crossings-at their improvement with safety de* vices. The cost of the Styx overhead bridge was on the list of depart? mental works on the tentative estimates for 1936-37 which were passed as a whole. f‘