OPENING OF STREETS

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31016, 23 March 1966, Page 20

OPENING OF STREETS

Co-operation Wanted

Why could there not be greater co-operation in the opening of streets? Mr R. L. T. Sandford asked at the Christchurch Drainage Board’s meeting last evening. He mentioned the stretch of Worcester street between Cathedral, square and Oxford terrace, where he said the road had been torn up three time s in recent years. On each occasion there had been back-fill and sealing of the road, but now all that was being tom up by the city council and taken to a dump, Mr Sandford said. First there had been renewal of gas mains and the street had been re-sealed, then the board’s stormwater sewer had been replaced and again the street was sealed, Mr Sandford said. Now the city council was ripping up and re-making the whole street. “The ratepayers are being flogged,” he said. The chairman (Mr F. R. Price) said that generally there was agreement between the engineers of locai bodies and Government departments on the opening of streets. There was liaison, Mr P. J. McWilliam. the chief engineer, said. At the time the citycouncil wanted substantial improvements to Cathedral square the board had put in a new stormwater sewer in Worcester street and later the council reconstructed the whole street.

It was felt that by dividing the work there would be a minimised interference to traffic, Mr McWilliam said. If all the work had been done at the one time there would have been more problems. Mr Sandford: The sooner we get a metropolitan board of works the better. Money has been wasted.