TREMENDOUS DAMAGE ON RUSSELL ROAD

Northern Advocate, 4 February 1936, Page 4

TREMENDOUS DAMAGE ON RUSSELL ROAD

DAMAGE amounting to thousands of pounds has_ been done in the Otonga riding, particularly on the Helena Bay-Russell Road. “If the weather holds we hope to restore traffic communications by Saturday,” said Mr G. Martin, • councillor for the riding, in conversation with a “Northern Advocate” representative this morning, “but without assistance from the Public Works Department, another rain will spell absolute ruin for this road.” Mr Martin said that fifteen large slips are down on that section of the road within the Whangarei county and that on one place on the Helena Bay Hill,/ where the grade is very steep, the road has completely disappeared for a distance of over two chains. Here, it will probably be necessary to dig out a new piece of road from the hillside. Some of the slips contain over 2000 yards of spoil. The Whananaki road is also blocked with several slips, one as large as any on the Helena Bay road. Some of the cream from both the districts is being transported over the Puakau which, however, is clay and will become impassable after any rain. This route leads only to Mokau, and is not a through route to Russell. Settlers of Helena Bay and Whananaka are working all hours in an endeavour to get a track through. Since Saturday, Russell has been cut off entirely and the only hope of contact with the outside world is the partial restoration of train services.