TAITA GORGE ROAD

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 83, 9 April 1931, Page 13

TAITA GORGE ROAD

UEGENT EEPAIE WOEK

WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY ?

A complicated position has arisen as i result of the washing-out of part of ;he Taita Gorge road by the flood at the end of last week. At present the :oad is available for one-way traffic snly and probably will remain so for some weeks. Three or four chains are iffeeted and part of the bitumen has jone. Consequently the repair job will be no Oasy one, and the question has irisen as to which body is responsible. The City and Suburban Highways Board has under its jurisdiction all the main road from the city to Upper Hutt ivith the exception of a stretch between, approximately, the site of the Manor Park bridge and the Silverstream railway bridge. The damage lias jeeurred halfway along this stretch, lyhieh was not taken over from the Hutt County Council, and the board, it is ;laimed, does not come into tho matter it all. It has been suggestod that the Hutt River Board might have some responsibility in connection with tho job. kn inquiry to-day elicited the infornation that the board's engineer was :nvestigating the position and would reijort later. He was stated to be of the jpinion that the trouble originated at i point above the Silverstroain bridge, ivhich is tho limit of tho board's jurisliction. If investigation proves that the icour has resulted from a weakness out>ide tho board's district, tho position rvill be further complicated. In the neantime, the board does not consider tself under any obligation, and is waitng for tno engineer's report. Tho general opinion seems to be that sither the Hutt County Council or the Main Highways Board should do the ivork, which is, of course, very urgent, rhe council has placed a temporary fence on the outside of the road, and men are diverting the traffic, but no ictual restoration work has been put in hand. Temporary filling would be of little use. Trouble has occurred before it this point, but not to anything like the same extent, and it is imperative to do something to keep the river at % safe distance. . It is considered that negotiations will probably take place between the Hutt County Council, the Main Highways Board, the Hutt Biver Board, and possibly the Public Works Department before repair work is commenced.