Manawatu Evening Standard. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1934 THE HIGHWAYS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 306, 23 November 1934, Page 6

Manawatu Evening Standard. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1934 THE HIGHWAYS.

In a conference at Wellington between members of the Wellington Automobile Association and the Main Highways Board several matters of interest to this city and district were discussed. The Board this year, according to the Estimates, is being- provided with £510,000 for the construction and improvement of main highways, compared with £260,000 voted' and £192,279 expended in the past financial year. For the maintenance of main highways the sum of £900,000, an increase of £255,000 over last year’s expenditure, has been allocated out of the main hig-hways revenue fund. The first mentioned sum is being divided between the construction of bridges and road work. The Department, which during the period of acute financial stringency has been compelled to veiy considerably restrict its expenditure upon the national highways, is new in the position when it can receive requests and if reasonable give them a more favourable reception than hitherto. Improvements to the traffic roads between Wellington and Palmerston North were urged by the Automobile Association. The main request was that the road through the . Opiki settlement, leaving the highway at Makerua and rejoining it at Rang-iotu, should be surveyed with the object of making an estimate of the cost of bringing it up to the standard of a main highway. This work has been advocated by motorists and people who reside on that side of the railway line. It was contended by the Automobile Association that the road between Palmerston North and Shannon, hilly in many parts, because of its configuration and the nature of the country, would be difficult to maintain in a safe condition, and a considerable saving _ in maintenance would follow the improvement of the Opiki Road. On this .route there is the toll bridge across the Manawatu River. There has been a strong desire on the part of settlers on the Linton side of the railway to have their highway sealed, and at the last meeting of the Kairanga County Council it was stated that the Horowhenua County Council favoured this work being pushed on, part of the highway (No. 60) being in its territory. Very shortly the Highways Board will be touring through this district, and the chairman (Mr C. J. McKenzie), who intimated that another request had been made for the construction of the deviation, remarked that the proposal would be examined on the road. The matter is one of considerable importance to Palmerston North, and it is perhaps not unlikely that ultimately both roads will be main highways. The important announcement was made by the chairman that the work of eliminating dangerous level crossings, or adequately protecting traffic in using them, is to be revived in co-operation with the Railways Board, with whom a conference will be' held very shortly. There are several crossings between Palmerston North and Wellington to which valuable attention could be given. Very shortly the Board will be in the Manawatu district and arrangements have been concluded for conferences with the various local bodies, which will place before its members requests relating to roads and bridges. It has been stated by the Board that 500 bridges are in urgent need of repairs and many more are in an unsatisfactory state. A num--1)61* are wooden structures built before the days of modern traffic. The Bulls bridge is a typical example which must very soon be replaced by a much more efficient structure. It has been estimated

that at least approximately onethird of all the bridges in the Dominion have still to be replaced in permanent material. The Highways Board ' has well described the position as serious, and the substantial amount allocated for bridges in this year’s programme is indicative of a pressing need. With money and labour cheap a great deal can be done now. Similarly, many sealed highways have not been maintained, owing to scarcity of funds, at their original standard, but an improvement is to be effected. Motorists travelling to and from Wellington will learn with pleasure that money has already been voted for the improvement of the road north of Waikanae which has seriously deteriorated. The Board has much to do in arresting the degeneration of the highways.