Grade Mangonui – Taipa Rd. With Private Funds

Northern Advocate, 20 April 1945, Page 5

Grade Mangonui - Taipa Rd. With Private Funds

(Special) KAITAIA, This Day. Following the action of Kaitaia private transport operators in having the Kaitaia-Ahipara main highway graded at their own expense, operators in the Mangonui district have taken similar steps concerning the east coast route between Taipa and a point beyond Mangonui township. Operators state that road mainten ance at their own expense has been forced upon them by the state of main highways, which have seriously deteriorated following the action of the Mangonui County Council in handing back, control of these roads to the Main Highways Board. Last week 12 operators in the Mangonui area clubbed in and hired a grader for two days, during which time nine miles of road was graded from Taipa township through Mangonui to Mort’s bridge, near* Oruaiti. A cyclist contributed 2/-. “The road was worse than terrible,” one man concerned told a “Northern Advocate” representative. Another operator has stated that if highway maintenance is not resumed shortly he will be forced to remove his vehicles from Mangonui’s roads. This operator, who lives in Whangaroa county contributed to the grading costs.

The road surface over the newlyresult, but it is doubtful how long the graded section is much improved as a benefit will last. In the meantime the section of the same highway from Awar»ui to Kaingaroa, which carries heavy commercial traffic, is in a particularly bad state, the California section especially being badly cut up with deep potholes which motor vehicles find impossible to avoid. Surface metal has been spread beyond the water-tables on both sides, and bridge approaches must be negotiated at low speed. Approaches to the Kareponia bridge are pitted with holes which could throw a vehicle driven by a stranger off the road. Corrugations are numerous. The only alternative route is Church Road, three miles longer and, over much of its distance, a narrow, winding hill country route which is not built for heavy-duty traffic.