HOSPITAL OVERBRIDGE

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 February 1947, Page 6

HOSPITAL OVERBRIDGE

NO CONTRIBUTION FROM RAILWAYS PROVISION FOR PEDESTRIANS The Railways Department will not contribute towards the cost of providing a footway on the railway overbridge giving access to the Grey Hospital from High street. The department is prepared, however, to carry out the work immediately, provided that someone else finds the £l4O estimated to be required for the work. This undertaking is given in a letter received by the Westland District Progress League from the Minister of Railways, Mr Semple, in reply to the league’s representations to have, a footway provided. The letter from the Minister states, inter alia:—“l have again looked into this matter. As regards the erection of a three-feet footway, the position is that there would be no fence between the footway and the road and this being the case, it is considered that a footway at least four feet wide should be provided. Estimates have been prepared accordingly and a four feet footway could be provided for £140.”

Request Declined “I have again gone into the matter of making a contribution towards the cost of the work, and after giving it careful consideration I regret that I have been unable favourably to consider the request that your league has made in this connection,” adds the Minister. “However, in the event of the local body or any other body being prepared to meet the expenditure involved, I shall be pleased to arrange for the work to be put in hand.” The danger to pedestrians crossing the existing narrow bridge. into the hospital has been stressed on many occasions and the provision ot a footway to provide for safer access has been the subject of negotiations for a long time, without finality being reached. Midland Line Troubles

An indication that he is prepared to arrange a conference, when he visits the West Coast, to discuss the dislocation of road and rail services on the Midland route by the repeated slips and wash-outs in the Nellie’s Creek-Kelly’s Creek area is given by Mr Semple in another reply to the league. Mr Semple states that, at the moment, it is not possible for him to indicate when he will visit the West Coast, but as soon as the trip can be made he will notify the league and will endeavour to arrange for representatives of the Railways Department and Public Works Department to join in discussions on the troubles on the line. As Member for the district, the Minister of Transport, Mr O’Brien, has advised the league that he will take up with the Minister of Railways the matter of the appointment of a resident district traffic manager of railways on the West Coast.