Paremata Bridge

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 216, 9 June 1931, Page 11

Paremata Bridge

Sir, —I wish to compliment Mr. Windley on his letter re this much-talked-of and necessary work. I have made careful observations and the project appears thus: Eventually the main West Coast road will avoid Paekakariki Hill (approximately 800 feet high) and take the route (shorter by about four miles) from Paremata to Paekakariki via Plimmerton and Pukerua Bay. The highest point on this route will be about 270 feet, and the steepest grade about one in thirty. The visibility will be excellent, danger from floods nil, danger from land slides almost nil. By comparison with the present road over Paekakariki Hill the difference would be: Paekakariki Hill has seven miles of steep hillside overhanging the road liable to heavy land slides, plus a danger of scour by flood. The Plimmerton-Pukerua Bay route would only have about one-quarter of a mile liable to land slides that would obstruct traffic. I have tramped the beach from Pukerua Bay to Paekakariki and was very surprised to find how easy it will be to construct a 24-foot road along this portion of the route. For the greater part of the way the road can be constructed clear of the sea, leaving only a small portion to be protected by a concrete wall The sea would only reach this wall when the tide was nearly full, and then only by shallow water. Some land will, of course, benefit considerably by the construction of this road, and the bridge at Paremata, and should, I think, contribute in cash toward the building of the bridge. If this contribution could not be got on request, perhaps a special loan over a special area could be arranged and the cash contribution (special) got that way. The road construction is straight-out pick and shovel work which would give relief work to many men in need of employment. Let the work start at the Paremata end. —I am, etC ” . OBSERVATION.