Minister Opens Hurunui Bridge

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30129, 13 May 1963, Page 14

Minister Opens Hurunui Bridge

Tributes were paid to the initiative, drive and foresight of the Minister of Works (Mr Goosman) by speakers when the new £80,00(1, 1120-foot bridge spanning the Hurunui river on State Highway No. 7. near Culverden, was officially opened by Mr Goosman on Saturday. A local resident, Mr G. 0. Rutherford, a former member of the Amuri County Council, cut the ribbon across the bridge entrance. Many of the several hundred persons attending the ceremony then formed a tightly packed scrum around Mr Goosman and Mr Rutherford as pieces of the ribbon were distributed as souvenirs.

Immediately after Mr Goosman’s car nosed its way through the cluster of spectators, many of whom raced down the bridge to take photographs, to be the first vehicle across the bridge after the official opening Passengers with Mr Goosman were the deputy chairman of the National Roads Board (Mr N A. Rattray, chairman of the New Zealand Counties Association), and the Commissioner of Transport (Mr R. J. Polaschek). Most Satisfying The National Roads Board was one of the most satisfying things that he has been privileged to plan, said Mr Goosman, referring to the compliments paid by earlier speakers for his efforts in having the board established What had been done for roading in recent years would not have been possible without N.R.B. funds The travelling public paid for good roads whether they had them or not. said Mr Goosman. Motorists paid the cost in repairs if the roads were not good Owners of more than a million vehicles provided £24 million a year for roading funds. Allowing an annual average of 6000 miles a vehicle it costs only a ld e a mile for everything done’ on the roads. If the mileage was 12.000 —and Mr Goosman thought this estimate nearer the mark—then the cost was only a Id a mile for good roading conditions Mr Goosman said he was eager to see sealing extended, but many roads would later have to be reconstructed and re-sealed. In the meantime they would have paid for themselves many times over in the saving to motorists. The N.R.B. fund was unique, said Mr Goosman. and in this respect “little New Zealand" led the world. Mr Goosman described the new bridge as a “wonderful structure.” reflecting credit on all who had participated in its planning and construction—Ministry of Works staff, the Rope Cohstruction Company (the bridge contractors) and British Pavements, Ltd. (approaches). Other bridges were being planned and he hoped it would not be long before there was a new bridge over the Waipara river ( Bridging Programmes There were 152 miles of bridges more than 25ft long in New Zealand, with 5] miles being built annually—that was some building, said Mr Goosman. The annual programme was equal to 25 of the new Hurunui bridge and they were being paid for in cash. ’ There were no arguments today, said Mr Goosman after referring to the financial problems and wrangles to apportion the cost of previous structures. The new bridge had been built by National Roads Board funds The board was making a survey of bridging needs for the next 10 years. While roads in the South Island were much cheaper to build than in the North Island. costing probably shillings a yard as against £’s. the South Island had the problem of bridging wide rivers, said Mr Goosman. The No. 13 roads district, in which

the new bridge was situated, had 45 bridges on State highways—some of them amongst the longest in New Zealand. To these would shortly be added the new Waiau bridge. Right Policy A policy of “pay as you go" was the right one, said the chairman of the Waipara County Council (Mr C. N. Mackenzie) referring to the importance of the new bridge in permanent materials, which replaced the old timber bridge that had served the district so well. This policy had been made possible by the drive of Mr Goosman in having the National Roads Board set up. For the people of the Amuri the bridge was the main link with Christchurch and its port of Lyttelton, in which the chairman of the county (Mr A. A. Macfarlane) played no small part as chairman of the harbour board, said Mr H. L. Pickering, M.P., for Hurunui. Amuri was an integral part of Canterbury in every way. despite what boundary commissions might do. Speaking on behalf of the motorists. Mr L. W. Broadhead, of the Automobile Association (Canterbury), expressed appreciation to Mr Goosman, through whose effort “we have such fine roads and bridges.” The speakers were introduced by the District Commissioner of Works (Mr E. C. Smart) as chairman of the No. 13 District Roads Council. Mr Macfarlane and Mr Rattray spoke when official guests were entertained to a buffet dinner at Culverden, after the official ceremony.