The Northern Trunk Line. A COSTLY BUSINESS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IX, Issue 1560, 25 February 1887, Page 2

The Northern Trunk Line. A COSTLY BUSINESS.

PER PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

WELLINGTON, February 24,

There will have to he three costly viaducts on the Northern Trunk Line, oue of which is in the Waitati contract, jnst let at the northern end; this, and another in the southern portion, will cost about .£30,000 each. The third in the centre will run some £10,000 more — the three representing about £100,000. The engineers have striven in vain to avoid these costly works, and, even now, a double party are surveying in the endeavor to find sonio means of escaping the central one. The necessity for these viaducts arises through the peculiar contour of the country. The line runs through broad plains stretching for miles ou either side, aud at certain points, some of which the rails must cross, deep V shaped ravines have been scoured out of the soft papa formation. Those in the direction of the railway are 100 yards or more in width, and proportionately deep, with steep sides. The southern viaduct is not an unmixed blessing. An attempt was made to take the line across lower down, in order to reduce the height of the bridge, but it was fouml impossible. By adopting the present route it turned out that niue miles would be saved, aud the viaduct will consequently almost pay for itself.