SUGGESTED BRIDGE OVER THE REES RIVER.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 3296, 16 July 1918, Page 4

SUGGESTED BRIDGE OVER THE REES RIVER.

DISTRICT ENGINEERS REPORT I AND ESTIMATE. At the meeting of the- Lake County Couucdl held on Wednesday a leiwer was received from the uisitrict Engineer, i'uol.c n'«ji'Ks Deparaneiic, uuueain, covering a oopy of liie report made by nan to the Engin-eeu-in-ch;ef reladve to tlie road ueviaijoii ana a oiiige across tlie ixcvc> xtiver. Owing io tne aoseuce l in ihe Norm Island, oi Mr Oeot. ite.d, menibor for tne ureensione RiiLng, it was dec;aed to iiuid over diiooubiaijjt of tlie co.uiiuUi;>;ai it>u uudi nis- ireturn. Tne report was as follows:— 1 To avoid tne necessity for these works, and to eliminate the danger and expense incidental to the present foiu, t u Has oeen suggested tnat tne road be carried up on tne left oauk until a bridge cax>s.s ng was fuuna. Tins woiita enauie tue river ix> be ruegoi-iatad at all times. A motor bridge ;s .all tnat is asked jor, aii>d I have accordingly eS'timaued jor suc.il a bridge constructed of local u'irch timber, wnicri l assured is oi lirst-ciass quuiuy, some oi it liaving been in use on the lake for atoUu 40 years. Tnare is also, a small quail iity of toiara to be got in this locality. Tne work involved in 'the above consists oi' forming a road from near ihe present ford up tne left bank hjl the riveir on safe ground, bridging tlie Oxbuirn (locali>' known as iviife Creek) bridging tne Rees river, and forming a load from the bridge to meet tue present uienoicny to Faradise R'jad, near the Earnslaw Burn. A gcod deal of the road formation wiouid be of a Jignt natoi'e; in fact, fcomie lou chayi could oe left in its- present state. About 10 ciiains of lairly heavy siding would be necessary to decend from tue terrace uciess tue Oxburn at a E>uuabie s-te, where a 3UfL S'tngie span wili be ample. It would be unwise to place the bridge at any point further down Ihe stream man tnat snowu on the lithograph, as the creek channel varies and the banks are easaly eroded. From the Oxburn to the Rees crossing the road would iO.IoiV along tne ohi river bed, near the foot of the hiil, but it would, from p.eovul appearances, be quite safe from floods. The bridge over the .river would, to cover the whole river bed, be aijoui 12 c.iaais lo.ig. i ioOk arougn secuom with tne aoney level and a bridge 1 throught would be suitable ons.sdng oi' 2d ft. spans., it might, ho we ver, be advisable to consider making a long span, say, 40 or tiO ft. at the Glenoichy end of the bridge over the mam channel in case of floating timber. Tne toial estimated co.st would le as follows: Road formation, £3lO, Bridge over the Oxburn £9O (.11 local Umber); Bridge over the Rees River, £l I JbO (in local timber). Total, £2380. If' these bridges were erected of hard wool the cost would be considerably over £3OOO, with the present prices of timber, f am assuming that iaijour would be available for sawing or squaring the timber. (Signed) C. J. McKENZIE, District Engineer. In his covering note Mr McKenzie says: 'AII alternative scheme, as suggested by tne Engineer-in-ciiief, is to keep the road in its present alignment and bank out 011 the present ford, watli a short bridge over the stream (as shown 011 tlie small plan). This scnerne would be cheaper and shorter than the other, and the cost would be, approximately, £2OOO.