MARUIA BRIDGE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 April 1938, Page 12

MARUIA BRIDGE.

[to the editor.] Sir,—Motorists from Canterbury to Neison and the West Coast via Murchison experience difficulty at the approaches to the Williscrofts bridge over the Maruia River. The regular motorist travelling the above district, like myself, is aware of this dangerous approach, where the Public Works Department, for the last 12 months with men, horses and drays, have attempted to make an approach to the bridge, but each fresh in the river seems to wash it away, leaving the fords worse than they were before they started.

Two months ago, ivhen I visited Westport, I read in the “Westport News” the growing danger of this bridge to motorists from Nelson to Christchurch, and nearly every night of late the automobile associations have sent out SOS calls over the air to warn motorists to and from Nelson not to use this road. On arrival at Murchison I was informed it is to the credit of the present Government that it had nothing to do with this bridge and that the Public Works’ engineers also had condemned the idea of a bridge on this spot, and had selected a place for a permanent bridge to give a crossing place for any state of the river, and would have been over a mile shorter from Nelson to Christchurch. Even if it were a little longer, let us have the permanent crossing place. If I am correctly informed that the engineers located a site that would always be a permanent crossing-place I suggest that the Hon. Mr Semple inspect the site with his Nelson, West Coast and Christchurch Public Works engineers and' decide if there is such a perma-nent site. Roads over long river-beds should be avoided if it is possible. The automobile associations of Nelson, Christchurch and the West Coast should take the matter up with the Public Works Department, in the interests of motorists, etc., for the best results to the general public using this road between Nelson, Christchurch, and to the West Coast via Murchison and Westport.—Yours, ete - MOTORIST. Murchison.