MAIN HIGHWAYS BOARD

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 July 1931, Page 12

MAIN HIGHWAYS BOARD

STATEMENT OF WORKS. A meeting of the No. 12 (West Coast) District Highways Council will be held at Westport, in the County Chambers. This is the first occasion that a meeting of the Board has been held at Westport, the object being to give the members of the Council an opportunity of viewing the reconstruction work which has been carried out on the earthquake-dam* aged roads. The following is’ a statement, received from Mr T. A. Johnston. Chairman of the Council., of the more important works* carried out during the year ended March 31, 1931.

Westport-Karamea Main Highway: Mokihinui-Karamea Section: Little Wanganui River Bridge: A new bridge 240 feet in length completed. Culverts, BS9 lin ft. of concrete pipe culverts placed. Westport-Mokihinui Section: Bridge at 19m 62c: A new bridge 15ft in length completed. Waimangaroa River Bridge. Deck and handrail system renewed. Westpoi L-Nelson Main Highway:— Westport:—Eight Mile Suction:Horseshoe Bend Bridge: A new 35ft span bridge completed. Wall at 12m. 40c. A retaining wall and culvert completed. 13m. to 14m. 14 chains of road widened. Bridge at 15m 48c. A View 30ft span R.S.J. Bridge completed. Protective work at Inangahua. A pile and gabion work groyne completed. Culverts: 1457 lin ft. of concrete pipe culverts placed. Washout at 14m 60c. Seven chains\of road widened and 54 lin. ft of retaining wall constructed.

Inangjahua Junction-Waiho Main Highway:— — Inangahua. Junction-Reefton Sec tion: —Milligan’s Creek Bridge. A new 40ft span R.S.J. bridge completed. Reefton to Big Grey Section: Little Grey River Bridge: Repairs to .superstructure completed. Overflow bridge at O’Malley’s: New superstructure on 40ft span completed.

Big Grey-Ta'rf'makau Section: — Ahaura River Bridge: A new bridge 720 ft in length completed and formation of approaches in hand. Sister Hills: Improvement in hand. Grey-mouth-Omoto: Improvements in hand. Taramakajvßoss Section: Three Mile Creek Bridge: A temporary bridge completed. Waimea. Creek Bridge at Stafford: Repairs to flood damage completed. Ross-Waiho Section: Mitchell’s Hill: Deviation completed. McDonald’s Bridge: A new bridge 200 ft in length completed. Mapourika Creek Bridge: A new bridge 25ft in length completed. Donovan’s Creek Bridge: A new bridge 25ft in length completed. Stony Creek Bridge: A new bridge 40ft in length completed. Fagpnini’s Qreek Bridge: A new bridge 20ft in length completed.

Butler’s Creek Bridge: A new bridge- 27ft. in length, work well in hand.

Little Wanganui River: Work well in hand on groynes and stop bank. Waitangi River Bridge.—Protective work and restoration of approach destroyed by floods, well in hand. Arthur's Pass-Kumara Main. Highway:—Washout at Aickens: 11 chains 'of roadway completed. and groyne work well in hand.

Westport-Greymouth Coast Road

Four Mile to Fox’s River: Widening and improvements: Further work carried out over various lengths. Bromilow Creek: Bft culvert and improvements to road alignment completed. White Horse Creek: 10ft span reinforced concrete bridge completed. Culverts: 202 lin ft. of concrete pipe culverts placed.

Greymouth-Punakaiki Section: — Canoe Creek Bridge: A new bridge 720 ft in length completed. Little Granite Creek Bridge: A new 15ft span bridge completed. Fourteen Mlle Creek Bridge: A new 24ft span bridge completed. Pillar Rock at Batty’s Hill: This dangerous rock has been removed. Sea Erosion at Nine Mile: 12 chains of road widened. Waiwhio Creek Bridge: A new bridge SOft in length completed. Restoration of Earthquake Damage. Up to 31st March, 1931, the expenditure from tho Board’s funds on the Restoration of Earthquake Damage in this District was as under: — Mokihinui to Karamea .. £70,371 Westport to Eight Mile 53,095 On other Highways .. .12,341 Total £135,807 In the case of the Mokihinui to Karamea Section, the present estimate to complete the restoration work is £35,000, while in the case of the Westport to Eight Mile Section it is £15,000. For the current financial year the Board has made £30,000 available on account of this work.

In connection -with earthquake restoration. the Te Namu to Kongahu Beach Road, 75 miles in length, and the Springlands Junction to County Boundary Road, 16 miles in length, are being maintained as detour roads out of the Board’s funds.

FLOOD DAMAGE. . The frequent heavy downpours of rain during the year caused considerable damage to the Main Highways in this district. The most, serious damage was at. a number of the bridges where either lhe approaches were washed away or the abutments scoured out, necessitating the construction of a considerable amount of protective work. For the year ended 31st March last, the expenditure on restoration and protection works was £4032, but provision will require to bo made this year for an additional £9411 to complete the work already in hand. The total mileage of highways in the district at March 31, 1931 was 490 miles 54 chains. On Juno IS, 1931, the Punakaiki to Fox’s River Section of the Westport'Greymouth Coast Road, a length of Bm. 56c., was gazetted a main highway. HIGHWAY EXPENDITURE. ' Expenditure for the year ended March 31, 1931: —From Construction Fund £25,371; from Revenue Fund £153,782. Total £179,153. f Tho allocation made by the Main Highways Board for the current year is as under: —From Construction Fund £14,000; from Revenue Fund (to include restoration of Earthquake damage) £90,000.