WAIWETU ROAD

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 90, 13 October 1931, Page 10

WAIWETU ROAD

REQUESTED IMPROVEMENTS

\ meeting of protest held recently by the residents of Waiwetu road residing in the vicinity of Waterloo road requested the Lower Hutt Borough Coimcil to make certain'improvements and to carry out a policy in regard to the extension of the "shopping area. These requests were last evening placed before the council, which also had before it a report prepared by the borough engineer, Mr. A. G. Bush, The report stated that the road was not too high from Waterloo road northwards, though it could be lowered without detriment, which course would result in decided betterment to the adjacent properties. This was really the only ground upon which reduction of the crown of the road could be based. In reducing the road crowu south of Waterloo road, where it was excessively high and had to be rediwed before any permanent surface could be laid, a large quantity of surplus material became available, and at leastJhree-quar-ters of it was carted to the hoflpjp north of Waterloo road. Had additional "Jnatenal been available filling would have' been continued, but no piping would have been done.' He did not admit the allegation that the creek was evil-smelling, but, assuming this to be so, no deleterious matter was discharged into it within the borough boundaries. These open creeks were designed by Nature to drain the land-riparian to them, and they could not be piped in wholesale without detriment to that land in so flat a district as the Hutt. The pipes would have to be three feet in diameter, and the cost of extending the culvert within, the borough area would be £267. The reduction of the road crown and other road operations would cost about £2000, or, if unemployed labour was available, about £1600. Mr. Bush said he considered that the public benefit to be derived would be negligible in comparison with the cost involved. Speaking on behalf of the protesting residents, Councillor Anderson said that as a layman he could hardly endorse the figures put forward by the borough engineer. The cost was extremely high, but nevertheless it seemed to him that the district would benefit greatly from the filling of the creek. He was not prepared to accept the estimate of cost submitted by the engineer. The whole matter was referred to the Works Committee.