THE PRESS TUESDAY, MAY 24, 1977. Fixing and renewing bridges

Press, 24 May 1977, Page 18

THE PRESS TUESDAY, MAY 24, 1977. Fixing and renewing bridges

The Director of Roading (Mr F. A. Langbein) has warned that many country bridges are below the standards required for public safety or an adequate roading system. Such a warning must cause alarm. Coming on top of the decision to build new one-way bridges on some State highways, the warning has reinforced the impression which the roads themselves have given many motorists—that those responsible for the upkeep of the country’s roads are barely holding their own. The goal of steady improvement of the country’s roads seems to have been long abandoned. When warning that many bridges are in serious disrepair, Mr Langbein alleged that some counties are not inspecting bridges regularly or thoroughly enough. In some counties the reasoning may be: why bother to inspect the bridges if the money needed for their proper maintenance or replacement is not available? The National Roads Board has been urging local roading authorities to strengthen existing bridges wherever possible rather than to seek to replace them. It has been endeavouring, by altering the basis on which road works are subsidised, to make more money available for maintenance than for new bridging or construction. But even with these changes in the policy of the board it is not certain that, even if all the country’s bridges were properly inspected, enough money would be available to do the necessary repairs, let alone replace those beyond repair.

This was, no doubt, Mr Langbein’s purpose in criticising some counties: to emphasise that the board must have enough money to support the necessary maintenance and replacement of bridges. The board should not have to limit local roading authorities to repair jobs when replacements are called for. Making the most of existing bridges is a sound policy, but only up to a point at which safety and adequate load limits, and the economy of maintenance have been exhausted. Trying to eke out the life of an inadequate structure will mean, in the short run, inconvenient and sometimes costly weight and speed restrictions and expensive diversions of traffic. Such a policy may even endanger lives. In the long run a sudden, disruptive drain of money for roading may be called for when a serious backlog of work has to be taken in hand. At that time economic circumstances might be no more propitious than they are now. The ability of the board to keep the country’s roads in good order must be maintained. If bridges are merely repaired when a thorough inspection reveals that replacement is the proper course the country will labour for many years under a severe disadvantage. If the Government adheres to its intention of waiting until the economic picture clears before it revises and improves the system of financing road and bridge repair and construction, serious damage to a vital economic asset will be done in the meantime. The roads are an item for public investment on which much of our economy depends.