Hornby lighting views vary

Press, 16 February 1984, Page 7

Hornby lighting views vary

Wellington reporter A decision on whether the Hornby shopping centre will have underground or overhead lighting cables has been deferred by the National Roads Board until its visit to Christchurch next week. Work on the reconstruction of the Main South Road into four lanes at Hornby between Springs Road and Carmens Road has already begun. However, the board wants to defer the lighting component of the work until it has seen what is involved. Members of the board were divided at their meeting in Wellington on whether to adopt a recommendation by their staff on

the board’s contribution to the costs of installing underground rather than overhead lines.

A 1600 m section of the road is being improved and the street lighting must be also improved as the present lighting is down one side of the road only. A lighting scheme using the existing poles was estimate by the board’s chief highways engineer, Mr E. J. Burt, to cost $66,000 and to need replacement of most of the poles on one side of the street.

The Central Canterbury Electric Power Board had proposed that overhead lines on both sides of the street be replaced with underground cables as part of the reconstruction of the

road and installation of new street lighting. This would cost the National Roads Board $136,650, including $47,700 for 100 per cent of the cost of street lighting, $21,800 for 33 per cent of the domestic underground cables, and $67,150 for 50 per cent of the 11-kilovolt underground Cables.

It would cost the Power Board $88,950, made up of $21,800 for 33 per cent of the domestic underground cables and $67,150 for 50 per cent of the 11-kilovolt underground cables. The scheme would cost the Paparua County Council $21,800 for 33 per cent of the domestic underground cables.

Mr Burt said that the

board had to see its proposed cost of $136,650 in terms of the $69,850 it would cost to use the poles there now.

The District Commissioner of Works in Christchurch reported that this sum would be available from the existing allocation, leaving the rest to be found in the future.

The advantages of underground cables were improved aesthetic appearance of the area, improved lighting because of regular spacing, and improved safety, he said. On this section of highway one accident where a vehicle hit a pole had occurred in the last five years. This rate could be expected to increase because road-

widening had brought the concrete power poles for the high-tension line closer to the western kerb line. Mr Burt said that it would cost the board about $90,000 to put in a new overhead lighting system. Whether the system went in underground or overhead, the board was required by the Public Works Act to meet at least half the cost of shifting the line of poles and half the cost of providing lighting. The Secretary for Transport, Mr A. J. Healey, said that he could not see why the board should pay more than the $90,000 Mr Burt had set. If anyone else there wanted the cables to go underground, they should pay the difference.