WHIROKINO ROAD

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 195, 17 July 1935, Page 9

WHIROKINO ROAD

COUNTY’S DILEMMA. ACTION REQUESTED. Taking the view that extraordinary conditions had. brought about the present situation in regard to the Wliirokino Road, south of Eoxton, the Dlanawatu County Council, yesterday, decided to request the district engineer of the Main Highways Board to inspect the road as soon as possible. The council further decided that it could not spend any more money on the road than it had budgeted for, although it acknowledged.it was impossible to keep the road closed indefinitely. The county engineer (Mr H. V. Bond) reported to the council on the road as follows: —“The Whirokino Road was opened to traffic at the end of last month and sand fillings and metalling were undertaken in the vicinity of the Government drain bridge. Several large holes developed and were being repaired when further flood waters came down and covered the ttwd. At no time during the past seven*weeks has the level of the water been lower than six inches from the surface of the road. From this it will be quite understood that the road is in a very soft state and very little impact is required to break through the surface. The lower portions of the road are still under water, and large holes have developed. It has, therefore, teen necessary to erect a post and rail fence at the ramp on the Foxton end and rails across the main bridge at the Horowhenua end. With the road in such a soft state it is very necessary to block all traffic from using it. In the past when the flood waters leceded sufficiently some users .of vehicles have broken the barricades and traversed the road. This undoubtedly has been tho cause of extraordinary damage to the surface. With the extraordinary conditions now prevailing the council will have no option but to take drastic action against such offenders. I feel certain that the amount of money placed on the estimates for tho maintenance of this road will now be insufficient, hut no indication of the total amount required can he given until the flood waters recede.” Commenting on the report, the chairman (Cr. W. E. Barber) said that he had inspected the road on a recent day and he could accurately say that when a lorry went over it the surface went up and down. Nearer Foxton the sides wore just liquid mud, and when it was remembered that the flood water had been over it for about seven weeks this was not to be wondered at. The road had teen very soft prior to the flood coming over it, and after six or seven weeks the water was still there. The position was such that tlie chairman suggested meeting Mr H. H. Sharp, the district engineer of the Main Highways Board, on tho road, for him to investigate the situation that had arisen. The council had budgeted for a certain amount of money, but the new developments on the Whirokino Road constituted extraordinary expenditure in the chairman’s opinion, and should be regarded as such. Ho was not agreeable to the council spending more on tho road than it had budgeted for. “FUTILE TO SPEND MONEY.” Cr. J. H. Perrctt considered it futile to spend any more money on tho Whirokino Road. A road would never he made there, although the speaker realised the council had to do something. The chairman agreed that the council could not keep the King’s highway closed indefinitely. He recalled that the road had already cost the council a lot of money for metal, and now the net result of the work, money and metal could he counted out. It was useless going on like that. l'n reply to a question from the chairman, the engineer said that it cost 12s 6d a yard to put metal on the road, the metal having to be brought from Shannon. The chairman commented that a yard of metal “did not go anywhere” and in the meantime the road was acting like a concertina, the surface and foundations wobbling all ways. The chairman considered the best thing to do would l>e for the engineer to form an estimate of what was required and then the council could ask Mr Sharp to discuss the position on the spot. The case was one of an extraordinary nature, and with the road as it was, the subsidy, on it should be something like £l2 for £l.

Referring to the proposal to raise the road, Cr. Perrett said the present state of the road exploded that theory. It was obvious that the more weight that was put on the already insecure foundations the more they would sink. He did not consider himself an engineer, hut that line of thought could only be regarded as common sense.

The chairman said the previous speaker’s views were quite correct, and he went on to relate how, recently, he liad impressed Mr J. Linklater, M.P., by getting him to view the road while it was flooded, pointing out to him at the same time the proposed deviation round the river bank, which had been high and dry. The council decided to act on the chairman’s suggestion and ask Mr Sharp to inspect the road. NO. 60 HIGHWAY.

Later in the meeting the chairman reierred to No. CO highway (Palmerston North-Shannon via Linton) and the expressions made at the Horowhenua County Council meeting. Cr. Barber said lie had discussed this highway with Cr. G. A. .Monk, chairman of the Horowhenua County Council, and had pointed out to him that there was a move to have the road through the Makcrua swamp to Rangitane made as the main road to Palmerston North. There were certain features in this plan which commended themselves, but it had to be remembered that this country also flooded, and therefore the only outlet from the north in flood time was the No. CO highway. The chairman went on to say that he was of the opinion that an endeavour was being made to sidetrack the No. CO highway, and it was important to the Manawatu county that the subject be kept open. With the Whirokino Road blocked, all traffic was diverted to the FoxtonShannon Road and although this was rarely blocked by floods there was always the risk that it would bo, hence the necessity for the No. CO highway to Wellington being kept in mind. Cr. D. W. Reid objected to the inference that had l>een made in certain places about the action of tire Manawatu County Council concerning the Whirokino Road. He emphatically denied that the council was shirking its duty, stating that it was actuated in what action it took solely in the interest of.the travelling public. Cr. W. E. Pearce remarked that the Kairanga County Council appeared to have the impression that the Manawatu County Council was putting its traffic on the Kairanga County’s road. In reply, the chairman said this impression perhaps had arisen out oi the extraordinary position at Whirokino owing to the floods. Cr. Perrett considered tlr.it the Foxton-Shannon Road should be concentrated on as the natural highway from the north instead of the Whirokino Road. The discussion then lapsed, no mo- , tion being put forward.