MT. VICTORIA TUNNEL

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 51, 23 November 1929, Page 12

MT. VICTORIA TUNNEL

APPROACHES NEARING COMPLETION CUTTING INTO COLLEGE GROUNDS Work is proceeding apace on the eastern and western fronts of the Mount Victoria tunnel undertaking. On the western, or city, side, the aspect of Patterson Street has undergone a complete change in the last six months. It has been deprived of half its width, and the southern half, which was bounded by the college grounds, has been lowered from nothing (at the corner of Patterson and Brougham Streetts) to a depth of 28ft. at the tunnel face. This line has been reached bv the gangs that are employed on the formation of the approaches, and the work now being done is the trimming of the banks, and the erection of a stout concrete retaining wall on the northern side of the approach road. This wall is of varying thickness, according to its height. At present the wall has reached a height of about 20ft., and is 4ft. at the base, but further along it will be 28ft. in height. It is hoped to finish the wall and clean up the bank on the southern side in about three weeks from date. It is not proposed to commence tunnelling until the concrete wall is finished and set, as the blasting shots might - disturb the work.

Wellington College Grounds. There is still a good deal of earthwork to be done at the old road entrance to the grounds of the Wellington College. There the City Council has arranged with the College Governors to take a strip of land of varying breadth so as to get a better sweep into the approach road from the new one that is to traverse the Dufferin Street block. In order to do this, the twostory house of the college grounds caretaker has to be shifted to a site on the tennis grounds. This house is already on the move. The chimneys and mantelpieces have been removed, all connections broken, and the house has been jacked free of its piles on to timber rests. Rollers are now being placed in position, and when all is ready the house will be pulled by motor power to its new site. In the meantime the college is to benefit enormously by the expansion of its playing fields. A new full-sized Rugby field has been secured by filling in a gully to the east of Firth House, whilst the northern corner of the grounds (near Brougham Street) are to be extended over the old line of the motor drive.

Preliminary to Boring. The Hansford and Mills Construction Company has established its office at the foot of Patterson Street. So far the only actual work done is to fence round the ventilation shaft areas—there is to be one on each side of Mount Victoria—and a start has been made with the preliminary work in connection with the boring of the western shaft (one of 9ft. over all diameter) on the western (city) side of the hill. It will be about December 10 before the actual tunnelling work commences. The machinery and material is now all ready, and no time will be lost once a start is made.