Sealing of Rural Roads

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 47, 25 February 1938, Page 3

Sealing of Rural Roads

THOUSANDS OF MILES NEED DOING. REPORT OF ENGINEERS’ COMMITTEE. WELLINGTON, Feb. 24. One of the main papers presented at the annual conference of tho New Zealand Institution of Engineers was that of the standing committee on rural roads, of which Mr H. F. Toogood (Wellington) is chairman. The report is the third presented by the committee, and surveys a very wide field in general fashion and also in technical deail. The committee believes that a considerable addition to the length of sealed or surfaced roads can be made with economical results, by treating 2000 to 3000 miles of main highways now maintained as gravel roads. The total expenditure on main highways for the year 1935-36 was nearly £3,000,000 and on rural roads nearly £3,500,000, states the report. The expenditure was met from the following sources:—Local ratepayers, 33 per cent.; the State (including unemployment tax, 12.5 per cent.), 27 per cent.; Customs and petrol and special motor taxation, 28.7 per cent.; loan moneys, 14 per cent. Maintenance required 38.8 per cent., capital charges 28.6 per cent, and construction 32.6 per cent. The statistics quoted show that there are now, including urban roads, 3641 miles of dust less roads. The total length of main highways is 8172 miles and of State highways 3942 miles. Of these highways, 2127 miles are surfaced. Besides these main i*oads there are 36,131 miles of gravel and metalsurfaced roads, 12,285 . miles of unsurfaced roads, and 16,982 miles of unformed roads. On December 31 last the registrations of motor vehicles numbered 265,362, which was an increase of 25,129 for the year. Motor-cycles alone showed a decrease as shown by the asterisk in

Traffic tallies and petrol consumption indicated a general increase in motor traffic between August, 1934, and August, 1937, of over 40 per cent. Working from a mass of detailed information, obtained from carefullytaken tallies on roads in all parts of the Dominion by the Transport Department, and from the annual report of the Department, tho committee reached an important conclusion as to the future of sealing and paving work. The Transport Department’s annual report states that 25 per cent, of the mileage carries less than 50 vehicles a day; 54 per cent, less than 100; nearly 80 per cent, of the total highway mileage less than 200 vehicles a day. The total milage of main highways is 12.144. Of this mileage the length of “dustless surface” is 2127 miles or 17.6 per cent, of the total mileage declared as main and State highways. The length of these highways maintained with gravel is 9634 miles or 79.5 per cent, of the total, and in general it is this mileage which is carrying less than 200 vehicles per day. By the facts available, states the committee, it is shown that 6540 miles or highways carry less than 100 vehicles a day, and on the basis assumed by tho committee the mileage is definitely outside the limits laid down when sealing becomes economical, and unless some special considerations enter it would appear that these 6000 miles of the present main and State highways will be maintained as gravelled surfaces for many years to come. However, regarding the remaining mileage of gravel roads, the committee considers that 2000 to 3000 miles could now be surface-sealed with economic results.

this table: .Registrations. Increase. Cars .. .. 21,218 Trucks .. .. 44,930 1,776 Others .. 16,203 3,307 Cycles .. 23,175 1,172* 265,362 25,129