Making Main Highways

Horowhenua Chronicle, 13 August 1925, Page 3

Making Main Highways

HORGWHENUA COUNTY COUNCIL’S SCHEME. WHEN WILL CONSTRUCTION BEGIN? The scheme for constructing penuaa Cut highways throughout' the Horowho- . uua County at a cost of £170,000, occupied . the close attention of the County Council at its meeting on Saturday. Councillors were anxious to know when actual construction work would commence. Work To Start Immediately. Tile County Engineer reported as follows: “The Main Highways survey has been completed as far as the Otaki : Bridge and the plans, etc., for the sec- i tion between Waikanac and Te Horo will be complctd by Monday or Tuesday > of next week. “I have applied to the Highways Board for permission to commence work i .on the section between Manakau and Levin (see my letter and reply attached). As this section (6J miles) i is through good country and the forma- j tion is more than the width required it is proposed to get the material for this work from the Muhunoa pit and from pit near Waikawa Bridge. “The new Anderson crusher has been set up and is in readiness for an early start. , “The information required by the ' Highways Board has been forwarded , and I hope to be able to make a start ; with the work almost immediately. j “I have received advice that the new ( road rollers have been shipped and will arrive about the first week in September. The 42-h.p. and 25-h.p. motors will arrive in the s’econd week of September. The large crusher and chip crusher should also arrive in September. The 4-ton Thorpycroft lorry came to hand at the beginning of the period. “My specification for the supply of bitumen has been approved by the Highways Department and tenders are bving invited at once so that the first consignment will come forward not later than the end of October. I would also advise that a bitumen sprayer and i boiler be ordered at an early date so that there will be no delay in starting i the paving when the bitumen conies to hand. * Getting Impatient. 1 Or. Harkness asked if the engineer could give an approximate date when (the Main Highways scheme would be commenced. He was very keen to see that work started and was getting a little impatient. The main thing was to get the crushed metal out on to the side of the road and get it in order for the penetration. Could they not push ( the Public Works Department a little and commence worlf. They were held ( up at the commencement by a flaw -in ( the Act and now were again hampered bv the Department when they were , ready to proceed. It was admitted that j their engineer had been first in with j his plans and specifications and had , his staff ready. It was unfair that he should now be prevented from going on. r Cr; Harkness asked Councillors to allow the engineer to concentrate on this vork and not call him all over the County for little matters. Reasons for Delay. The chairman said the Main High- \ ays Board had no reason whatever to 1 hold up the work, nor had the Public Works Department. The Highways ■ Hoard, in fact, was very anxious for the Council to begin spending its money. The County, however, had to submit | very full specifications of such work as they were prepared to proceed with. The Highways Board had already adopted the provisional survey and now the County Engineer had to submit full details of the work. These details from Waikanae to Otaki had practically been done. In the meantime the engineer considered that it would be an advantage to strengthen the road between j Manakau and Levin and the, Highways. Board had stated that if the width and* depth of metal on this particular portion was 1 given, they would be prepared to give authority for the metal to be put on it. That authority was expected wdthin a day or two. Even if they had had the money they eouid have gone on no faster. There had been a slight hitch in the raising of i the money, the chairman explained, in : that the Highways Board did not dele- i gate back to the County Council just as , much power as they should have done. ] Vivo or six Counties who had taken , proposals before the ratepayers were in ] the same position, and it would be ] necessary to have the validation of • ‘hese loan proposals. They had an as- . surance that the validation would go ] through this session. That was one, ] thing that had prevented the County j borrowing the money it required through the Government Life Insurance Department. t , • Cr. Harkness contended that from vhe correspondence with the engineer it wag the Public Works who were holding up the main highways scheme by delay in inspecting the Levin-Manakau tion and giving the certificate required. The chairman said they expected Mr. Jlannah along any day now, but he was ’certainly not -to blame in the matter. The chairman said he had had the pleasure of working with him on the Highways Board during the past few months, and if there was one man in the public service who was over-worked it was Mr. Hannah. No man could have done more to assist the Horowhonua County’s project and the Highways Board had clayed the game in the matter. Cr. Catley asked what was the earliest date, on which the engineer could start.' . The County engineer said that n given authority he could start next day. He wanted the metal put on as soon as possible so that the traffic would consolidate it. Nature of the Work. Cr. Ryder asked whether any report was available as to the cost of maintenance of the piece of road near Levin that had been tar-scaled. It -would be of value in view of the main highways scheme. He pointed out that the estimate for bituminous roads had been a long way below the mark in the Hutt. The chairman said the road south of Levin could not be compared with the work proposed to bo done under the Highways scheme. It actually required another coat every 18 months or two years, whereas the Main Highways would have a wearing course on top of three to four inches. The bitumen would, not be mixed with the metal before being put down, but would mix by penetration into the metal. If they 1 compared the 'Maintenance of the tarsealed road with the portion between there and tlm Ohau River, they would find that it was a very good investment. It actually only took a little more Than one yearns maintenance to put down and had only cost 88s for maintenance since with two day’s labour. Its length was 1J miles. The average maintenance of the main roads was about £2OO per mile and an eminent engineer had told him lately that the cost would nso with the growth of motor traffic to £3OO per mile. GOOD Witt TOR OTAGO FOOTBALLERS. (Per Press Association.) DUNEDIN, August 13. The Otago Rugby reps beat a combined country team by 54 to 3.