Jeep Crashed Into Whirokino Bridge

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 151, 28 June 1943, Page 3

Jeep Crashed Into Whirokino Bridge

•CONTRACT LET FOR NEW Structure WELLINGTON, June 26. “The injured marine in the jeep which went into the river has now admitted that he crashed into one of the main 6truts of the bridge,'’ said the Minister of Works (Mr. Semple) this morning when referring to the recent collapse of a span of the Whirokino bridge near Foxton. Mr. Semple said he’ had instructed the Main Highways Board to make a thorough Investigation into the cause of the collapse. The collapsed span was being salvaged for that purpose. When the jeep crashed into the strut it caused the span to collapse and the jeep and its occupants were carried into the river as it fell. An examination of the portions of the span so far recovered had shown that the timber was in as good order as could be expected from the age of the bridge, and there was no evidence to show that lack of maintenance in any way contributed towards the collapse. The bridge had been regularly inspected since it was takeij over from the County Council in 1937 and defective timbers had been replaced where necessary. The last inspection was made on May 28, a few days before the accident on June 3. The bridge had been considered unsuitable from a traffic point of view for many years, and had it not been for the war would have been replaced by a reinforced concrete bridge. A New Structure. After the collapse it had been proposed, to put a temporary span across and use the bridge again. It was felt, however, that no further risk should be taken with it, and instructiohs had been given that a new bridge was to be constructed as quickly as possible. A contract haa already been let and the contractor was getting men and plant on to the job. The work would be pushed w T ith the utmost expedition. The condition of the timbered bridges still remaining on the highways had been giving both the Minister and the Main Highways Board much concern, and prior to the outbreak of war every effort was being made to replace them as quickly a& possible. The fact that over 70,000 lincai feet, or more than 13 miles, of modern reinforced concrete bridges had been con-

structed since 1936 gives some idea of the efforts made. The programme of reconstruction would again be put in hand as soon as the supply of manpower, materials and plant would allow. In the meantime the public could rest assured that careful periodic inspections of those old timber bridges were being made, and their maintenance was being kept up to as high a standard as possible. It had to be realised that even the most earefm inspections would not always reveal some hidden defect in an old timber bridge, and the travelling public were earnestly requested to observe carefully any load restrictions imposed.

Heavy Army traffic had created some problems and many of the old bridge.*: had had to be strengthened. The drivers of Army vehicles were particularly requested to comply strictly with load restrictions.

It was noticed that, according to newspaper reports, some of the local bodies in the vicinity of the Whirokino bridge, without waiting for any evidence, imme jdiately attributed the collapse to lack of maintenance. The chairman of one I county referred to heavy Army traffic and stated that, in his opinion, the span had just slipped with the continuous v eight and the state of the timber, and then collapsed. Such a statement was, to say the least,# ill-advised when he must have known that an investigation would [be immediately made, and he had no ! evidence whatever to support his stateI ment.