PERMANENT ROADS

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 48, 20 November 1925, Page 10

PERMANENT ROADS

The partv, accompanied. by the city Engineer (Mr. A. J. Paterson) and the supervising engineer (Mr. K. Luke), started out at 10 a.m. and proceeded along Jervois Quay, up newly t paved Taranaki Street, and so on via Adelaide Road to Island Bay. So far this locality is free from the bdour of bitumen, but there are evidences of its approach. Here an 18ft. track will be laid along Trent Street and another along the Parade, as far west as Cliff House, where it will join the Adelaide Road track. Rounding the first corner on the Queen’s Drive a gang of men were found employed at Cave Point (Houghton Bay), excavating for a sliort-run concrete wall, which is necessary in order to widen the road at that rather dangerous corner by about 10ft. Further on more road-widening work is progressing on the rise on the eastern side of Houghton Bay (where the roadway is protected by white painted rails). The spoil from this work is being used to widen and straighten but the road at the elbow of the bay and so render the going safer for wheeled traffic. New Road at Old Maranui Quarry. Continuing eastward toward Island Bay, a stop was made at the disused Maranui Quarry site, where the line of the road curves outward and round two deep pools that are gradually being refilled with spoil and refuse. The Mayor stated that it was not proposed to treat the existing road at this point with hot mix, as a new road was to be constructed straight across the quarry site, between the pools and the hill/ thus saving a considerable detour. ) . Rongotai Plants. ■• At Rongotai there was much of intcrest to see. Here three plants are j erected, on the Lyall Bay sands (which are being rapidly levelled out as the sand hummocks are being converted into street surfaces). These consist of No. 2 Cummer - , the old Ransom, and a new plant made by J. J. Niven and Company, of this city. As the Cunimet had been seen in action, it was the. Niven that attracted most attention. Several improvements have been incorporated in this plant, as the rej' 1 suit of which its output exceeds any ;■ < other on the iob. For instance, instead of, the mix dribbling out in 6001 b. batches,' it conserves them until there are ten in a steam-jacketed hopper, which runs out on a steel ramp, and tips the whole content into a lorry i below. This means that instead of a *’ ■ lorry having to wait eight or , ten •■"*'■" minutes for a load, it can receive one in less than two minutes, an important thing as far as transport is concerned. Between the Cummer and the Niven plants a new structure is in course of erection. This houses the old Ransom (now to be used as a drier only), and here will also be erected the new filler plant, now on its wav to Wellington. The expeditious manner in which the big motor-lorries arrived and received their loads was favourably commented upon. At Oriental Bay. From Rongotai the party proceeded falong the newly-paved Seatoun and ■Evans Bay roads, to Oriental Bay, where the members observed the roadwidening operations, and the preparation work done ahead of the paving gangs. It was announced here that the tramway-track work in the Bay would be completed within a few days, and that the whole of Oriental Parade would be surfaced (full width) within tlie next four weeks—in three weeks, if good weather prevails. At Clyde Quay the party made its first contact with the paving gang. The i western side, from the corporation yards to the baths, has been completed, and the other side will be finished by the end of the week. This means that the ’ gang will be operating in Oriental Bay next week. From Clyde Quay the cars carrying the party sped out by way of Cable Street, Jervois and Thorndon Quays, to Petone. There they travelled on the paved Esplanade anil Cuba Street, tn the plant at Gear Island, where the party was augmented by the arrival of Mr. F. W. Furkert (Chief Government Engineer) and the members of the Main Highways Board now in session. After an inspection of the plant there a detour was made to run over a section of paved road from the Hutt Pipe Bridge to the Gracefield Estate, and the engineers indicated how they proposed to take a short cut across country from a point near the Waiwetu Bridge to the Lowry Bay Road, cutting the distance to be travelled to the eastern bays down by nearly half a mile. This road has already been approved.

A Boggy Spot. The next stop made was on the main Hutt Road, where a paving,gang was hard at it, with no spare time, between loads. At one point along this roadnear the V.I.C. corner—a patch of bad boggv road, about three or four chains in length, is still unpaved. It is the course of an old river bed, where, on excavating for a bottom, great tree trunks were found embedded in oozy soil. This length of road is so bad that the preparation work alone has cost, ss. Bd. per square yard, and it may still cost more. Beyond that the completed track extends along as far north as Nat Nai Lane, and beyond that again slight preparation on a road with a pretty good bottom extends for about a mile. Opposite Waugh’s nurseries the road takes a bend like a dog’s hind leg that is being eliminated. Mr. Waugh has dedicated a small strip of land (Bft. nt its widest), and on' the other side land some twelve feet deep is being taken, in order that “the crooked shall be made straight.” New Road Through Taita Gorge. The road through the Taita Gorge is not to be paved; not the existing

SEASON’S PAVING WORK INSPECTED BY HIGHWAYS BOARD AND CITY COUNCIL GOOD WORK RECOGNISED Probably few people in Wellington realise to the full the extent of the work that has been done this season in the dual programme of permanent roads in the schedules of the City Council, and the City and Suburban Highways Construction Boards. This was made manifest to the members of those bodies yesterday, when, at the invitation of the Mayor and board chairman (Mr. C. J. B. Norwood) they .visited two localities where work has been done this season, also the various hot-mix plants, which churn up the material that is being usee} as a road surface in city and suburbs.

road, at all events. , Without being unduly communicative, the Government has advised the board not to pave this part of the road, so there may be a hiatus in the paved track of a couple of miles. This is on account of. the Government’s intention to divert the road out from the shadow of the hills, to a line further towards the centre of the valley. The general line of' the new road through the gorge is already marked bv red rags at the, survey pegs. From the Silverstream Bridge the existing road will be followed, and the track will continue on to the northern boundary of the Upper Hutt Town Board district. At Trentham, after luncheon, the new Millar plant (an English adaptation of the Cummer) was inspected in the old gravel pit, near the Y.M.C.A. building, in the camping ground. This is a fine, solid-looking plant, that appears good for a long life. Owing to the kettles not being ready, it is not expected to commence work for a fortnight, but already the high ground round the pit is being loaded up with crushed metal, , sand, and bitumen supplies. After this plant had been inspected a flying visit was made to the main road beyond Upper Hutt, where the Hutt County Council is putting down a stretch of 'paving by the penetration method. Three inches of 2-inch metal (crushed river boulders) are being laid on this 18ft. road- When rolled out, bitumen is squirted all over the surface, which is again rolled, and later a sealing coat of bitumen and metal chips will be applied. Mr. Benham, the county engineer, stated that he w’as working to the Main Highways Board specifications. His estimate of the cost was 4s. per square yard, but it was working out at about 3s. 6d., half of which cost was being borne by the Main Highways Board. Value of Co-operation. At luncheon Mr. Norwood expressed pleasure at seeing Mr. Furkert and the members of the Highways Board present. It was nice to see, he said, that in the midst of their labours they were able to spare time to view what Wellington and the suburbs were trying to do in the improvement of the roads of the district. Mr. Furkert acknowledged the compliment, saying that it was fortunate that all the members of the board should have been in town. They were very pleased to be present, and to see what was being done to provide the good roads they all desired. He was very interested to see what Wellington was doing, and the way it was doing it. Their desire was for all parties to get together and work for the end in view. The day was past when one body thought it clever to get a point on to another. He would like to see such co-operation all over the country. (Applause-) At afternoon tea, at Lower Hutt, the Mayor (Mr. W. T. Strand) welcomed the party to the borough. He dwelt on the value of combined effort, anc) spoke of how this reading work had progressed in a wav which it never would have done had not the bodies concerned come together. The time was past for a local body to consider itself an independent unit, as they were really all part of one large community. This was only the beginning. There might be other things in which they could get togethei. Wellington had a good' water supply, and so had the Hutt, but' very soon the Hutt would want a gravitation water supply, to get which they might find ways and means of working together. Mr. Norwood complimented the engineers and staffs on the excellent work that had been done in the prosecution of the reading scheme. He dwelt on the good which had arisen out of that useful piece of legislation, the Hutt Road Act, which had been responsible for great achievements. He spoke generally of the possibilities of a Greater Wellington, and the facilities which could be gained by a combination of local bodies, when it meant approaching the Government. When only one body was concerned the Government might well hesitate in taking a certain course, but when there was a combination of bodies from the same district desiring a certain thing it was a pleasure for the Government to aid such co-operative effort. There were many things yet to be done, but whether it was arterial roads to the West Coast, better access to Lower Wairarapa, or other advantageous works, cooperation was all in the interest of Wellington. He saw in the Hutt Road legislation a means whereby the smaller local bodies could continue to retain their identity and yet enjoy the facilities of larger places. There were instances when such was not the case. One was in Newmarket, which separated one part of Auckland from another, and preferred to run everything with its own officers, without taking notice of any others, with the result that there was a great economic waste. (Applause.) Mr. S. G. Nathan, representing the motorists on the City and Suburban Highways Board, congratulated the engineer and his staff on the work done ' this season. It would be a great pleasure for him-to let the Automobile Club know what they had seen that dav. (Applause.) Mr. A. I. Mackay (Hutt County) also complimented the engineer and staffs on the. good work done. 'Mr. A. J. McCurdy also offered his congratulations.

The city engineer, Mr. A. J. Paterson, in reply, thanked the board, council, and ratepayers for voting money for a broad gauge plant to do the work on broad gauge lines. • In his long experience he had not met any . instance of such loyalty and enthusiasm on the part of the men employed in the quarries, plants, and on the roads. It had heen fine. That spirit had not only been manifested towards himself, but to fill the senior and junior officers. (Applause.)