GREY COUNTY COUNCIL

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 May 1936, Page 4

GREY COUNTY COUNCIL

——«•> —-— REPORT ON HIGHWAYS. The County Engineer, Mr John Higgins, presented the following report for the year ended March 31, 1936, on main highways under the control of the Council, at the annual meeting of the Grey County Council on Wednesday:— • Inangahua Junction to Weheka.— Big Grey to Tararnakau Section, 33 miles 24 chains: This highway was maintained in the usual way for gravelled surfaces. Power graders and drags were employed constantly, but the result in summer was not satisfactory. When traffic reaches the intensity it has on this highway the only means of obtaining a satis aclory surface is by scaling. The maintenance cost per mile per annum of .he several sections for the last five years are as follow:— For the year ended March 31, 193 G,

’ the maintenance costs of the different i sections were:—Greymouth-Tarama- ! kau, 7 miles. £977 to maintain, £l4O • per mile per annum; Greym'puthtinner U miles, £1329; £313; Brunner-Nelson Creek miles, i £ 1906, £246; Nelson Creek-Ahaura, ■ 6?, miles, £ 1404, £225; Ahaura-Big , Grey, 8 miles, £875, £llO. Totals: 33} miles, £6491 to maintain, £194 per mile per annum. ; The cOst of Section I shows a de- . crease of 35 per cent, over last year; Section 2, an increase of 5 per cent: "ection 3, an increase of 35 percent.; Section 4, an increase of 101 per cent: Section 5, an increase of 21 per cent. 3 he average cost per mile per annum nvm- the 33.’, miles is £25 more than •.he previous year. The total amount sront, on maintenance was £6,491 as against £5625 tor the previous year. A length of nearly 4 miles between • and Tararnakau was sealed duri ing (he summer. Two short diversions were made at the same time, 2'. th a junction ot Camerons Road,

and the other at the south side of the Taramaku bridge, giving better visibility and easier curves. A 41t x 4ft reinforced concrete culvert was constructed on the diversion at Camerons Road Junction, and the surface built up to above flood level. A length of 20 chains north of the 6mile peg was also raised above flood level. A reinforced concrete bridge of 40ft span and 20ft width was. Conecnstructed across Kaiata Creek, and the highway raised above flood level at each side. The bridge across Racecourse Creek was strengthened and widened to 20ft between wheelguards. The steelwork of the Ahaura River I.ridge was painted, and defects in the .surface drainage put right. New ‘wales, nosing, and sheathing were placed on No. 6 stream pier of the Big Grey River bridge. The Board is carrying out 'extensive improvements between Greymouth and Cmotumotu, and in this connection the widening of the bridge across the' Omotumotu Creek becomes necessary. Tiie cost will be slightly under

! £lOOO. | I Westport-Greymouth (Coast Road)! ! High way—Punakakiki-Greymouth-Sec-!i lion (26 miles 16 chains): Maintenance was carried out similarly to the Big ! i Grgy-Taramakaiu highway? A power jgrader was employed constantly, and i the surface materially improved I thereby. The material available for ' metal north of the Ten Mile is much i superior for motor traffic, to that I obtainable on the southern end of the highway. The traffic intensity from Greymouth to Rapahoe warrants a J sealed surface. For the year ended I March 31, 1936, the maintenance costs ; of the several sections were as foli low: —Greymoi<th-Runanga, 4 miles, £1769 to maintain, £442 per mile per {annum; Runanga-Rapahoe, IS miles, £589 to maintain, £337 per annum; Rapahoe-Ten Mile, 3} miles, £1652 to maintain, £5OB per mile per annum; Ten Mile-Punakaiki, 17} miles, £1324 to maintain, £77 per mile per annum. ’Totals, 26} miles, £'5334 to maintain, £127 average per mile per annum. The cost of Section 1 show an in-

crease of 61 per cent.; No. Z, an increase of 69 per cent.; No. 3 Section, an increase of 98 per cent.; and No. 4, Section, an increase of 26 per cent. The average cost per mile per annum was £76 more than in the previous year. The deviation, 53 chains in length, between 9.1 miles and 10 miles that had been commenced the previous year was completed. The old highway was destroyed by the sea, a tew days after the deviation was made passable for traffic. The cost of the deviation was £4,200. The reinforced concrete bridge across Lawson’s Creek, that was let towards the end of last year was finished at a cost of £1,150. The bridge is 35 feet long, ’ with a traffic width of 20 feet. The I bridge over Coal Creek at the first crossing, constructed in 1900, was considered too narrow for the greatly increased traffic. The timber used in its construction was silverpine andj irenbark, and this was quite sound and good for 30 years of more. A! contract for widening of the bridge I to a width of 20 feet between the

wheelguards was let, and the work is about completed. The cost will be about £1,060. The position at the sea erosion between the 16J and 17: s ‘ mile, referred to in my last annual report, has become steadily worse, with a likelihood, in the near future, of the stoppage of traffic during spring tides, and at times when heavy seas are running. The place was inspected by the Hon. Minister of Public Works, and the Chairman of the Board, on January 15 last, and a promise given that the survey of a deviation would be made. So far, this survey has not been put in hand'. The Board offered a subsidy of £3 for £1 on an expenditure of £6OO for pro- < tection work, but the County considered that money spent on protec- < tion would do no good, unless the ! sum spent was so great as to amount s to a big proportion of the cost of a 1 i deviation; and even if such a large ( 1 expenditure was incurred, and the < shore held at its’present line thereby, < i the seas would still sweep over the d highway, wash out the surface, and in

impede the traffic. For these reasons, the County advocates the immediate construction of a new road well back from the shore line. Ngahere-Haupiri Junction Highway (13 miles 10 chains): This highway is subjected to the heavy and constant traffic of motor 'trucks conveying sawn timber from sawmills to the railway at Ngahere. The work done was principally metalling low and worn down parts, and attention to the surface generally. The expenditure amounted to £1,303, being at the rate of £99 per mile per annum. Kumara-Haupiri Junction Highway (12 miles 24 chains): The five miles on the Kumara end carries heavy timber traffic; but on the remainder ordinary settlers’ traffic, and tourist and sightseers predominate, sightseers’ vehicles predominate. The highway was badly worn down when declared, and expenditure has been directed towards building up the road crust again. Much remains to be lone. The expenditure was £921, beig at the rate of £75 per mile.