A WESTERN OUTLET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19255, 18 February 1926, Page 11

A WESTERN OUTLET.

COX'S CREEK IMPROVEMENTS. WIDENING OF WEST END ROAD. % NEW BRIDGE BEING BUILT. The extensive works for improvement of West End Road, the thoroughfare which gives access to tho waterfront portion of Grey Lynn from Jervois Road, Heine Bay, across Cox's Creek, are now well advanced and the widened roadway and new bridge should be ready for traffic before the winter sets in. Formerly, West End Road from Jervois Road to the creek was very narrow, with some acute curves and an irregular grade, while there was practically no provision for pedestrian traffic. For the greater part of "the road there is a high cliff on the northern or seaward side, and in order to carry out the improvements, which included widening, it has been necessary to cut the cliff back in places and to build retaining walk. This portion of the work is now almost, completed, giving a roadway 30ft. wide and a footpath on the landward Side. A new footpath has also been made along the foot of the cliff with a minimum width of 6ft., widening to 15ft. where the contour of the country permits, without expensive and unnecessary excavations. Work oil Concrete Bridge. Tho old wooden bridge was wide enough for only one vehicle at a time, but is now being replaced by a new concrete bridge which will have a width of 28ft., Bft. of which will be set apart for pedestrians. Most of the reinforced concrete piles h*v* uow been driven, and the men a.re at present engaged on tho excavation along tins bed of the creek for the foundations of this wing-walls. The causeway which connects the bridge with the shore on the Grey Lynn side of the creek estuary has also been widened to approximately double its original width. This has been done by constructing a stone wall along the northern side of the causeway and filling the gap to the level -of the road. This has now given a roadway of about 40ft. in width. Beyond the causeway on the Grey Lynn side the roadway is being constructed to the full width of 66ft. Work to Cost About £IO,OOO. The new work being carried out is being done out of a sum of £8570 provided in the last streets improvement loan, and had been rendered; necessary by reason of tho phenomenal settlement that has taken place in tho last two or three years on the large area of excellent resL aential property lying botweefe Cox's Creek and Motion's Creek. The esti mated cost of the work submitted by tho city engineer at the time the project was approved by the City Council was £10,150, made Sip as follows: —Work: on city side of bridge, £1970;: bridge., £1600; Grey Lynn portion of causeway and road, £6580. When reporting to the council on thsi improvement work at Cox's Creek tho city engineer referred to the general"treatment of Cox's Creek Reserve and expressed the opinion that on the southern or landward side of the eiusieway it would be undesirable to attempt to convert this into a water reserve. He recommended that the whole area, with the exception of a waterway for carrying off storm water, should be reclaimed. Proposed Boad Connection, Subsequently a number of residents hi tho locality approached the council witri a proposal that the improvement scheme should be further reviewed, with tho object of not carrying out any work of a permanent nature that would interfere with a scheme for connecting Point! Chevalier with West End Road, It wa», also suggested that the creek should he formed into a water park. An alter native scheme proposed was that the point of land lying between llegina Street and Kingsley Street should be connected by road with West End Road. The reply of the council was that the scheme now in hand did not interfere with any reading scheme toward Point, Chevalier and that it was not the intention of the council to form a water park, inside the bridge and road. R was uloc mentioned that the council had in view the connecting of Regina Str«iet with, West End Road when filling and other circumstanced xinado it practicable to do 80.