Help sought for Ellesmere road

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32720, 24 September 1971, Page 10

Help sought for Ellesmere road

' „ Rmsonstniction of the , Sockburn - Southbridgo ; highway was the No. 1 I problem for the E 11&. f we County Council, ifa 'chairman (Mr W. E. Walker) told the i National Roads Board, • when it visited the ; county yesterday. He ’ asked for a special sub- > sidy to enable the eoun--1 cil to do the work.

“The reconstruction of this 16 miles in toe county has been from No. 1 priority to No, 27," wid Mr Walker, "Wq are still plugging. Traffic i figures bave gone higher and i Hgher, and with the loss of i toe railway, heavy traffic has ! increased and toe road has i become the life line of the . county. Parts of it are dpter- ! iorating." ! The council had sought • board money at $3 for $l, • hut it looked as if toe egum i ell could expect $3 or $X ■ Tte cost was $140,000 some years ago, but this figure

would have gene up a lot since then. Mr Walker algo asked the hoard for a special grant to enable kerb and channel work , to bo done at Lincoln, Redt. E. v. Turpin said ho noted > that the county had 42A per I cant of its roads sealed—well above the national average. Mr Turpin said that the council should resist any 1 move to transfer money *«• I marked for bridges to the j reconstruction of the high- . way. The board was concerned at the slow progress ‘ of rural bridge replacement, “Unless there are exwptienai circumstances, fo* board Is not pleased with any request for transfers -of ’ money from bridges to other ’ three Banks Peninsula eouncouncil’s main concerns were ’the widening of Norwich ' QMayrfo® at its Ife • tersection with Oxford Street, . and its eventual extension to ■ G*’hin Quay. The fourth and s final stage of the Marine

Parade reconstruction at Diemono Harbour, it was hoped, would be done this year. er R, H. Duff said that foe first stage of the Norwich Quay work had been approved by foe beard, but the second and third stages were pl ong I way off, mainly because of .property purchase questions, i For the board, Mr A. M. Linton, tol dthe council to get Its proposals before the District Roads Council. The board rarely interfered with ’ roads council recommends--1 tions and regarded it as essential to see that staged ■ work was carried to complete 1 ion, The Mount Herbert County - Council's chairman (Mr E. R. I Radcliffe) expressed appricia- ' tfon for “generous help” given 'by foe beard. In siv years : the eouneil had spent $103,000 on its reads, not much, per. ■ haps, but 54 per eent or it* • W The council's current three- - year programme provided for the reconstruction and realI fog of foe Purpu-Port Levy Road, the widening and rei sealing of mam reads, some (secondary road seeing and ■ the replacement of bridges. ,Mr Radcliffe said the spun- • oil had spent its money wisely | and looked to a continuation i of the board’s help.

Ten years ago, Akaroa County had no sealed roads, but since then, with tire board’s help, 51 miles had been sealed and completed at below the original estimate, said the county chairman (Mr G, p, A. de Latour). He asked the board to continue the $4 for $1 subsidy to enable the council, on a five-year plan, to reconstruct and seal another $$ miles,, mainly as extensions to existing seal, and for the reconstruction of 24 miles of secondary reads, “That’s a pretty good effort,” said Mr w, Baird, replying for foe board. "I am quite certain foe board will be sympathetic towards you,” He warned toe council not to starve unsealed reads of maintenance, sWSwSS mam problem was the upgrading ofthe .steep, narrow reads on the Kinlock and Ta Oka hill country, There were problems, too, with Partridge’s bridge at Little Rives giving access to Kinloch. Its replacement, planned for next year, would cost about $23,000. Today, toe board wifi visit Malvern County, and go ss fair as Otira.