MAIN HIGHWAYS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 46, 23 August 1926, Page 4

MAIN HIGHWAYS

PROGRESS OF WORK

RECENT DAMAGE.

The Main Highways Board concluded its monthly meeting at Wellington on Friday, Mr. C. J. M'Kenzie presiding. The following report on the more important works carried out in tho North Island during the month of July was tubmitted. ■/During the month, saicl the report, the eteel girders of the 60ft span of the Wood-Ville-Palmerston North bridge at O.M. 32 ■chains, have been placed in position, and all cross braces and sway braces have ;been fitted. The construction of the concrete deck is now in hand. ": On 26th July a phenomenal flood occurred in the Manawatu Gorge, and brought down a large number of slips. With the aid of the mechanical excavator, the road was Cleared sufficiently to allow traffic to pass in five hours. : On account of bad weather, slow progress has been made with the widening contract on the Waipawa-Waipukurau 'section of the Napier-Wellington via Waijfarapa road. . ■ . 7. A commencement was made with the deviation work on the Matahiwi / Hill, -xvhich will eliminate two railway crossings from the main highway. f A large slip occurred on tho MahoenuiMokau section of the Auckland-Wellington '.Via Taranaki road, necessitating the employment of 20 men. :i Good progress is being made with the Work on the Mokau River bridge. The superstructure of two spans is in Nearly all the steel.work has fceen delivered on the site. On the Patea County section the reconstruction of the '-«v"henuakura Hill is about two-thirds com.ileted. On the Wanganui County section 'jl chains of metalling have been finished -and 110 lineal feet of concrete pipe cul"yerts laid. _

;': On the Wanganui-Horopito road 2"6/£ chains of widening was completed during the mouth. The portion of this road already widened suffered considerably from the exceptionally heavy rains on :25th and 26th July. ■:. A commencement has been made with -the widening of the Ngahauranga Gorge Stream diversion work is also |n hand. -■- On the Johnsonville-Tawa Flat section "26 chains have been widened to 24 feet i»nd 66 feet of culverts have been laid. •■:•- To date, on the Pareniata-Horokiwi -galley 113 chains have been widened, ;inetalled, and rolled, and 32 chains is in [progress of wideiiine.. -.'■ On the Paekakariki-Waikanae section .88 chains have been reconstructed and a "further 46 chajns are in hand. i ..' Between Waikanae and Te Horo widen- ' ring work is in progress. Two large concrete pipe culverts have been installed. 7: Widening work is in progress on the JSanson-Rangitikei bridge section. ; Three miles and a half of preparation ;.work is in progress in anticipation of bituminous surfacing during the i'ortheom"ing summer on the Levin-Tokomaru sec~_tion.

--? Widening work is in hand from the sum:mit of the Mungaroa Hill, on the Kai!;toke side, and also from the Pakuratahi bridge to the foot of the Riniutaka Hill. -, A commencement has been made with ithe formation of an important deviation ■on Faulkner's Bridge-Eketahuna Borough section, to supply relief work for unemployed. •;; The Konini bridge is about 75 per cent, and the approaches are in hand.----5 Concreting has been completed to the j^op of tlje beams of Warren's bridge. The yWork is about 75 per cent, completed. : The approaches to the Alfrcdtou township bridge are in hand. -'. Pile-driving has commenced on the Waipopo stream bridge, between Masterton and Martinborough, via GladStone, j ■ The abutments of Booth's creek bridge have been completed on the CartertonLongbush junction to Gladstone. :i;, Twenty chains of metal has been carried out of the Greytown-Bidwill's cutting. ".- At Bidwill's cutting and Knolls-cutting, :Featherston-Jlartinborough road, widening ■Work is in hand.