THE DRAINAGE SCHEME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14648, 6 April 1911, Page 6

THE DRAINAGE SCHEME.

- ' m ■ ■ ■-■■■■ COMPLEtION IN FIVE YEARS. RAPID PROGRESS OF WORK. Ax important announcement in connection with the carrying out of the main drainage for the city and suburbs, viz., that the back of the wOrk will be broken ■ within five or six years, and that the scheme to all interests and purposes will ; be in full operation by that time, was made by the drainage engineer, Mr. W. E. Bush, yesterday. Speaking to a Herald representative, Mr. Bush said such excellent progress ; was being made that the prospects of completing "work at an earlier date than originally contemplated were far better than he had anticipated. " The main sewer," he proceeded, "will bo completed in about two or two and a-half years' time, and by that date we shall be draining everything, right up to Cox's Creek. As the construction of the main sewer proceeds the branch sewers will be put in hand, and I should say that in about five or six years' time wo shall have broken the back of the scheme, leaving practically only a few odd lengths of branch sewers to put in. There will, of course, be a great deal of reticulation work to do in. the various districts, but this is to be carried out by the respective local bodies." The work of constructing the main sewer is being pushed vigorously ahead. Already the first section has been completed, and the second and third sections, taking the main intercepter from Orakei to the Auckland Domain, are now well under way. The construction of the remaining sections, Noa 4 and 5, carrying the sewer to its final point, Cox's Creek, is shortly to be undertaken, and it is expected that the. latter will be put in hand within two or three months, and the former about a month later. These two works will involve a big length of tunnelling, about two and a-half miles in all, and as it has been found that No. 5 section cannot be worked from so many points as the other, it is considered desirable, that its construction should be commenced a little earlier, so that both may be completed about the same time. No. 4 section will follow the route as originally laid down. Commencing at the Domain* the tunnel will be driven in the following line :—Domain-street. across Wynyard- street, O'Rorke-street, across Princes-street, under the Albert Park, Vic-toria-street East, beneath Queen-street, Victoria-street West, Drake-street,, and into Union-street, where the section ends. The sewer will cross beneath Albert Park at a maximum depth of 120 ft, «nd Queenstreet at a depth of about 18ft or 20ft, The fifth section has been deviated somewhat. Starting from Union-street, at the the end of No. 4 section, it is now to follow 1 the following route :Willow-street and Sheridan-street into Wellington-street, crossing under Franklin Road, and under private property, until it reaches a point under the corner of Fernleigh-street, thence across Wood-street, under private property; and across' Arthur-street; and from thence across beneath Ponsdnby Road, under Summer-street, across? below OKphant-street, and thence under the property of the Marist Bros'. School, until it reaches Richmond Road, and ends at Cox's Creek. Under the original proposal the sewer was to be continued down Sheridanstreet, across Wellington-street, under Pratt and Anglesea Streets, across beneath . Pdnsonby Road, and do«rn Norfolk-street into Richmond Road, but this route has been abandoned in favour of the other, which is more direct. The owners of the private property : affected are now being notified.* but this is considered 'purely a formal matter, as the tunnelling will be done at such a depth that no land or build- , ings can be interfered with in, the slightest. At the corner of Arthur-street the sewer will be 175 ft beneath the surface, . crossing under Ponsonby Road 173 ft, and at Cox Creek 25ft. The estimated cost of the two sections is approximately £60,000. >