ROADS AND BRIDGES IN THE KAIRANGA

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6887, 17 April 1929, Page 9

ROADS AND BRIDGES IN THE KAIRANGA

The Year’s Construction PROGRESS CHRONICLED IN COUNCIL CHAIRMAN’S REPORT In his annual report to the Kairanga County Council, the chairman, Cr. Jos. Batchelor, makes the following reference to roads, and bridges in the county. This now completes the fifth year of work under the Main Highways Board. During the current year the subsidy for maintenance and bridge construction was increased from 30s for £1 to £2 for £l. This increaso was made retrospective to April 1, 1928. Dor permanent surfacing on Bangitikei line and Poxton line the board is providing a subsidy of £3 for £l. Unfortunately notification regarding this came rather late to allow of our completing these roads this season. Contracts were immediately let for bituminous macadam paving on 3} miles of each of Rangitikei and Foxton lines. This will complete the former road to the boundary. It is confidently expected that this road will bo completed before winter, but it will be impossible to carry out any paving on Poxton line. I am pleased to report that Kairan-ga-Bunnythorpe road and LongburnBongotea Toad have been declared secondary Highways and all maintenance work and bridge construction now carry the same subsidy as Main Highway. Paving on Napier road has been completed to the boundary. The finances of the country are still in a very satisfactory state and full details will be available at the annual meeting to be held next month. This position is all the more pleasing when it is remembered that a considerable amount of work has been charged to ordinary revenue which class of work was formerly charged to loan account. The more important items under this heading are: several large concrete culverts in Pitzherbert riding and all concrete pipe culverts put in throughout the county to replace decayed timber structures. Widening and gravelling of portion of Kairanga-Bunnythorpe Toad in Taonui riding preparatory to paving this section. Taonui and Mangaone ridings are also providing the county proportion of cost of paving on Bangitikie line. While I am of the opinion that wo should do all possible works out of revenue, I realise that without unduly increasing the rates it is impossible to reconstruct the larger bridges or carry. out any large paving programme without loan money. Bridges. The renewal of old ( timber bridges still continues and the following works were either completed or are in hand. Keebles bridge, Bullocky creek, Mangaono stream bridge ■on Roberts line, Lynch’s bridge, Bourkes drain and Mangaone stream bridge at Awapuni, Derby creek bridge. The bridge over the Kahuterawa river is in a very bad state and should be renewed aB soon as possible. The timber portion of Awahuri bridge has also beon giving a considerable amount of trouble and it will not bo very long before this structure will have to bo renewed. \ Maintenance. The maintenance of the more heavily trafficked roads still continues to be a source of worry and expense and the sooner we get more paved roads the better. The one man power grader cannot cope with the amount of work required and very often the motor truck or horses have to be used to assist in the grading. Speaking generally, the gravel roads have been in very fair order during the year, but corrugations during dry woathcr are still frequent and only continual grading will keep those down. A largo quantity of finely crushed metal has been used in place of river gravel for maintenance work on some of the roads and this is reducing the corrugations to some extent. Resurfacing on bitumen roads was carriod out to the following extent. Poxton line 183 chains, Napier road 135 chains, Bangitikei line 125 chains, a total of 443 chains. The average cost being £2 15s per chain to cover all charges. This is considerably less than previous work of the same nature.