CITY WORKS

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 193, 10 May 1924, Page 6

CITY WORKS

A TOUR WITH THE WORKS COMMITTEE STREET IMPROVEMENTS IN PROSPECT Yesterday afternoon the Worlds Committee of the City Council, accompanied. by the chairman (Councillor T. Forsyth), the city engineer (Mt. A. J'- Paterson), the waterworks and drainage engineer (Mr. J. M. Morice), and the streets engineer (Mr. K. S. Luke), made a motor tour of inspection to several, parts of the city in order to visualise sonic pio- , posed works, which may or may not be included in this year s estimates, j lie party first visited upper Roxburgh Street, which is divided into two levels. The dividing line at present is a rough sloping bank surmounted by a wooden rail. It was pointed out that by replacing the bank with a concrete wall it would be possible to widen both roads, the lower by some eight or ten feet, and so clean up a thorouglifare which at present is the reverse of sightly. Oriental Bay was next visited. There the concrete seawall has reached a point opposite tho Orient Private Hotel, and between the wall and the road there is a hole about 10ft. deep, which is proposed to be filled in with spoil from the quarry face when the inclined tramway is built (whenever that may be). Whatever happens in connection with the trainway, it is imperative that the wall should be continued to the rocky projection immediately to the north, and the road levelled up, as at present tho spot is more or less dangerous to motorists. fl Difficult Junction. At Roseneath the (hairpin bend, where Grafton Road and Maida Vaio Road meet was inspected, and all agreed that the work of widening out Grafton Road (which is the main road from Roseneath and Hataitai), is a difficult one. The city engineer s plan is to widen out the road, at the foot fey tho aid of a conciete wall, which will come out to a point about threequarters of the way across the beginning of Maida Vale Road, and throw the latter road a little further to the east on a lower grade. The committee seemed to approve of this method of dealing with this junction, although a doubt was expressed that there would be sufficient money to carry it out in toto during the present financial year. Along Evans Bay a gang of men and a steam roller were at work giving the widened road on one of the points south of Baffin? Bay a sheathing of metal. , ~ , On mounting to Hataitai the excellent condition of Hataitai Road was commented upon. In connection with this and similar good-conditioned roads, the policy of preserving them with a sealing coat of bitumen was mentioned. It was stated that such treatment was calculated to keep a good road sound for five or six years. A Dangerous Elbow. In Hamilton Road, Kilbirnie, just north of the Main School, is a very dangerous bend in the road, with a fall of from ten to twelve feet into the front gardens of the residences on the lower side. At this point several motor-cars have pitched over the bank and crashed through the fences below, and on another occasion a, telegraph boy was killed by dashing into a telegraph polo just round the northern bend. Hero it is proposed that a little private land should be secured on the upper side of tho bend mentioned, and of the properties below in the elbow of the bend, in order that the road may be widened and straightened a little at the point of dagger. This will necessitate the construction of a concrete retaining wall on the western side of the road for a distance of 70 or 80 feet, and tho provision of a now low-loved pathway entrance to the properties affected. Queen’s Drive Encroachments. There are many encroachments on Queen’s Drive near its intersection with Cruickshanks Street at a point where there is no footpath on either side for tho protection of pedestrians. As the motor traffic along Queen’s Drive is considerable, the council has been approached to provide a protection, chiefly in the interests of the school children, and the proposal now is for the council to assert its rights to the encroachments on the western side of the drive, and provide a footpath with the land so reclaimed. Ross Street (Kilbirnie South) is another road in excellent repair which is proposed to bo preserved by a sealing coat of bitumen. At Miramar the council has developed an old metal quarry on Townsend Road, which is producing a good quality of blue metal. There is an acre in the reserve, and the city engineer is so struck with the possibilities of the quarry that he proposes to abandon the quarry at Maranui, and shift the crushing plant from there to Townsend Road. The site of the ‘quarry is a bend in the road above a gully which leads direct to the flat of Miramar, and the engineer thinks that with up and down lines of trucks the metal could be handled economically for the good of the -whole of that growing district. Wider Parade for Island Bay. From Miramar the party travelled to Island Bay, where the engineer pointed out hi detail the council proposals respecting the Parade and the recently acquired corner section of land in front of the Blue Platter teahouse. His proposal is to widen the Parade by some twenty feet by taking in land to that depth on the western side and then construct a footpath on the beach side of the Parade. The rest of the corner land was to be used for shelter sheds, conveniences, etc., whilst the council’s land further to the north would serve for a small rest park and recreation ground for the children At Dee Street the committee inpected the old _ stream that runs through the Chinamen’s gardens, and south through the backyards of several homes. The engineer’s idea is to culvert the stream from Dee Street to the main Adelaide Road culvert, and leave the stream as it is to the north. At the Yards.

At the Corporation yards in Clyde Quay there was evidence of improvement in several directions, but generally speaking the yards were considered to be generally unsatisfactory. Tho carpenters have been provided with a new shop, but nothing but hand-work can be done there, as there is no machinery and power provided. Sooner or later this is to be erected. Another old iron shed, used at present to make concrete flags toy city sidewalks, is to be converted into a store, and the flag-making department is proposed to be shifted out to Lyall Bav (near the sand and gravel deposits). The change room, where all the Corporation labourers change their clothes, is a leaky, ramshackle corrugated iron building, which was generally voted a “disgrace” by all present, and a new change room will probably bo provided in the course of the, year. The most serious problem, however, concerns the feeding of the destructor with tlm city’s refuse. At present there is only the one ramp for the loaded carts to deposit their loads in or near the hoppers. Consequently when one cart is inside, others have ,

to wait until it comes out in order to get rid of their rubbish. This was voted quite antediluvian, and the city engineer suggested that the major difficulty could be. overcome by enlarging the size of the hoppers and providing an “out” as well as an “in” ramp for the carts. Tn order to do this it will probably be necessary to do away with the ancient asphalt shed, and find a place for it elsewhere.