South Motorway Work To Start Next Year

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31981, 7 May 1969, Page 11

South Motorway Work To Start Next Year

As work on the northern motorway between Chaneys and Pinehaven would be virtually completed by next year, it was proposed to start work then on the Addington section of the southern motorway, the No. 14 District Roads Council was told at its annual meeting yesterday.

State highway expenditure of $1.75m was approved, compared with $1.37m last year. The district highways engineer (Mr J. G. Sullivan) said that at this stage last year it had been proposed to spend $1.37m in each of the next three years on the district state highways but this had been amended to provide $1.75m this year, $1.57m next year and $1.82m in 1971.

The highways estimates were approved for the board’s confirmation, as were estimates for total expenditure of $1.99m by the Christchurch City Council, the Kaiapoi, Lyttelton, Rangiora and Riecarton Borough Councils, and $1.66m by the 13 counties in the district. For the Chaneys-Pinehaven section of the Northern Motorway, $510,000 was provided for work this year, with a further $500,000 projected for 1970-72 and $500,000 in the following year. This vote provided for the completion of the Northern Motorway section to Pinehaven by 1971, and for a start on a section of the southern motorway, said Mr Sullivan. “As the northern motorway should be virtually completed next year, provision bas been made on the estimates for a start on the southern motorway,” said the resident engineer (Mr W. A. Scott). “In Une with the Regional Authority’s report on the programme of principal road improvements,

it is planned to start work on the Curletts Road to Jerrold Street section through Addington. “A considerable amount of allowed to complete it For

design work, survey and borehole drilling has been carried out for this purpose in the last year.” For 1970-71, $40,000 was provided for work on Curletts Road and $lO,OOO for investigation for each of the next three years. The major item of expenditure on the motorway was $175,000 for this year’s work on the rail-road-river bridge at the Cam River, and in 1971 a further $120,000 was the Cam Road and Chaneys underpasses, $llO,OOO was allowed this year. Of an estimated total cost of widening the Main North Road between Belfast and Johns Road of $400,000, expenditure of $47,000 was approved for this year.

For seal extensions on State highways, $142,000 was provided, the main item being $BB,OOO for continuation of the sealing between Cass River and the Bealey on the West Coast Highway. The District Commissioner of Works (Mr D. A. Lane) said there would still be a gap in the seal between Broken River and Cave Stream, which it was proposed to tackle in 1971-72. The prob-

lem was to know just how to deal with the job. “The board’s policy is to do the easier sections first, so as to get a greater length of seal. This bas been done on the Haast route,” he said.