STEEP STREETS

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 61, 9 September 1933, Page 10

STEEP STREETS

PRACTICAL PROBLEMS

GRADING AND WIDENING

SAFETY OF FACES

Recently in the "Evening Post" reference was made to the new highlevel highway (with tributary streets) that has been driven with relief labour through Wilton's Bush from Northland towards AVadcstowu, as far as tho boundary of the City Council's land. Here there is a gap of private land, for which a siibdivision.il scheme has been prepared, which schomo provides for tho continuation of this highway right through to Wadestowu. Thus safeguards are provided for a high-level promenade and traffic-artery contouring tho Otari Museum (AVilton's Bush) side of the Tinakori wireless hills. This is clearly a notable event in townplanning and is also of scenic interest. Belief labour has accomplished a great work, which does not, however, include tho metalling—a matter o£ future finance. IMPROVING WILTON'S ROAD. Tlio old low-level road (Wilton's road) through tho valley below, which connects Northland-Karori with Wades, town by a route closer to the Kaiwarra stream,' is now receiving from relief labour much-needed attention. Ten years ago it was full of dips, rises, corners, and narrow places. In the interim much of this has been remedied, but there have continued to exist one or two narrow stretches (held over pending arrangements with landowners) and at least one big dip, where tho road (as one travels along it from Otari towards Karori) comes down -almost to !the level of the Kaiwarra stream, alongside tho City Council's Karori yards and pound. A sharp rise follows up to the City-Karori main highway (Chaytor Street .section) and just before reaching that highway there is another narrow piece. This dip is now being cased by a big filling-in, involving the excavation and rcdeposition of 2000 yards of earth; and the- narrow part is being widened by erecting a concrete crib-wall. The term '' crib is in this sense new to Wellington, and is probably borrowed from the protective timber-work (called crib-work or cribbing) used in mining. The concrete crib-wall is becoming the protective wall in places along quite a number of Wellington roads, securing high faces that are otherwise'liable to erosion. Where a-batter (inclined slope) in a wall is possible, this crib-work is substituted —at about one-third of tho cost!—for the more- expensive reinforced concrete of tho upright walls. TWO TYPES OF WALL. Anew sample of the reinforced concrete wall, to secure an unsound face, is about to be constructed on Upland Eoad, Karori. The two types, of wall are found in proximity, each suited to its location, on either sido of Plunket Street —reinforced concrete above and crib-work below. ■The 2000 yards fill at the Corporation's Karori yard will raise AVilton's Eoad over a, distance of about 200 yards and the vertical lift will be about six feet at tho deepest point of the dip. The exit road from the cemetery joins up just here, but the grading will provide- that it is not unduly steepened by the lifting of AViltou's Eoad. The pound has been shifted some little distance to improve this road junction. The spoil is being deposited right to tho edge of this part of tho Kaiwarra Stream, and. is being taken from the high bank above, on which the excavators and whcclbarrow-mcu are making a noticeablb impression. The workers on tho concrete crib-wall have about half completed their job. CEMETERY TRAFHC. From the junction of tho cemetery exit road (at present the only exit road from the cemetery), AVilton's Eoad carries not only its through traf-, fie,-but also the cemetery exit traffic', which is estimated to average 100 vehicles a day, with far more on occasional days. Hitherto both Wilt oil's Eoad and the exit road itself have been very narrow for such traffic. Tho two works now roferred to will vastly improvo AViltou's. Eoad; and tho tax on the exit road will be reduced by the construction (now in progress) of a second exit road from the cemetery to Stnnden Street. This second exit road is a pretty big work in itself. It will make a convenient connr.ot.icin between the end of Standfm Street and the plateau which constitutes the newer part of the cemetery, and v.-ill ease the get-away of vehicles after funerals. A deep gully, formed by a tributary of the Kaiwarra, lias to be crossed, and that is being done by means of a big earth bank over a 2-Jft piped culvert in which the creek now runs. ■ About 3500 yards of earth will go into this bank, which is gradually mounting; spoil delivery is by truck and rails. On the three jobs referred to above—AVilton's Eoad dip, AVilton's Eoad widening, and now cemetery exit road to Standen Street —about one hundred relief workers are employed. Tho second exit road has become a-traffic, necessity of the cemetery. WESTERN COMMUNICATIONS. At one time in Wellington the only or main reason for going to Karori was to go to the cemetery. Karori is not on tho main thoroughfare cither to Hutt-AVairarapa or to tho Manawatu, and the road that runs through Karori over Makara Hill to Makara, branching via Ohariii to Johnsonville, is still rather a by-road. Tho result is that the. rest of Wellington does not know the real Karori, its modern development, and its extension towards Makara and South Karori. But Karori is one of tho greatest and most modern suburbs, and if earthquake or fire closed the Hutt Eoad and the gorge roads leading off it, communications via Karori might become vital to the city. Not many years ago the eity-Karori road had two weak links—an obsolete viaduct, also almost vortical faces on Upland Eoad (Kelburn). Under Mayor Troup the .viaduct'was'replaced by a structure that seems to have been built on earthquake-defying lines, and within si few days work on tho Upland Eoad faces this side of the viaduct has begun in the way of excavating, setting back, and jconereting. Sonic of the faces have stood well for many years, and concreting is not resorted to till uusoundness is evident. It will be seen that all these works have more than a local significance, and contribute materially to the communications strategy of a hill-bound city which finds that the price of graded roads is tunnels and viaducts, also deep fills and high banks, and which is ever on the alert to, give its road batters adequate protection (concreting, cribwork, waterproofing with "gunnited'' coment solution, etc.) consistent with finance.. .