NEW TRAFFIC OUTLET.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20332, 13 August 1929, Page 12

NEW TRAFFIC OUTLET.

'Ay ALTERNATIVE SCHEME

USE OF RAILWAY ROUTE.

EASIER GRADES SECURED,

.UCKLAND ARCHITECT'S PLAN

A new selienm to provide a tru'lic artery :'rom (lie city through Painell and New narket to she Croat South Road lias >oen drawn up l>v Mr A. L. Forney iiotigh, architect, of Auckl'nd. It is

offcied as an altei native to the pionosils j'ocenll v advanced by the Town-Planning Association. Tilt; route suggested by Mr. Forney hough has f'ts origin at Pronkwatcr Poad and follows the existing railway parallel with Beach Poad until it continues on the railway lino to cross Parnell Pise by an overhead bridge. At this point it is suggested the existing double railway ■ rack and tunnel should be con veiled into a concrete road and the railway trnHie — ■vast.lv reduced by the opening of the West field deviation—confined to the "Id r.inglo track* Parnell tunnel. From 'lie tunnel exit, tlif route would be'through i,ho Newmarket railway similar to the Town Planning Association's .scheme, but differing in the line taken from the ond of tho Newmaiket yards to roach 'ho Great South Road.

Need oi Traffic Eclici. Mr. Fernoyhougl).. quotes- tl}e following iatter from him published in the Heuald February 15 .last''The .over increas ing congestion oi traffic on the city stroots is causing the City Council to look for new outlets, and now that the railway de.viation via I'amaki is tieaimg completion the time seems opportune to call attention to what appears to be a solution of the problem so far as concerns the southern and eastern-bound traffic. When the deviation is put. into commission the great bulk of the railway traffic will be transferred from the piesent double track, ahd with the" construction of the Morning Side deviation there will be left the local traffic between Auckland and Wcstfield on the present track. "This traffic could easily be carried through the old singlo track Parnell tunnel and the present double track and tunnel converted into a concrete roadway, which would give an admirable outlet for all southern and eastern bound -motor traffic from the lower, part; of the city into Newmarket avoiding the-steep pull up Symonds Street or Parnell, and aft'oiding an easV; grade and quick . transiV-Tioin the city. ' There docs not ' appenr to be any engineering difficulty which" cannot be oveuome, and it should bo within the bounds of practical, politics for tho City Council and the Railway Department to come to' satisfactory terms. Such a road as I suggest, commencing at or near the entrance to the new railway station, or even as. far back as the crossing near the.v old station (Break•water Road)rand connecting with the Manukau Road near the old Junction Hotel, would relieve the congested traffic in Queen Street, Symonds Street, and other streets, and relieve Grafton Bridge by deviating all south and east-bound traffic from the lower part of the city. Assistance to Present Outlets.

Mr. Ferneyhough then proceeds to elaborate his scheme, pointing out that (V traffic outlet as suggested in his letter would relieve- the lower part of the city, including Queen Street and its environs, •.Symonds Street, Ivhyber Pass Road, AnAvenue, tho Grafton Bridge, as well as Newmarket. He says the eastern artery advocated by tho Town Planning Association is substantially part of the route proposed by him, as is also the ."route" referred to as ' parallel with the

.present railway line." Mr. Feyneyhough continues"lt is obvious that relief must be aiforded fiom the traffic congestion in Queen Street, ■.Customs Street and their environs, SyBionds Street and Grafton Bridge, with whicli tho City Council has more immediate as well -as .Newmarket. Thc£ congestion at Syinonds Street-Grafton Bridge is quite as bad as; Broadway, and probably worse,, and the route suggested ,me" appears to achieve,,that relief, Iho Traffic from " Queen Street? and westward "\v6ukl approach the proposed outlet via King's Drive,- Customs Street and Fort Street, and the outlet would take all eastern and southern-bound' traffic from tho new railway station." : / ■ A Shorter Route, v- ;

Points;'.of recommendation ."for his scheme- are advanced ..by. Mr. .Ijeriicyhough as follows: — li) A shorter loute. ■ It is approximately 160 chains from breakwater Road to Broadway by the proposed route; approximately 166 chains via Parnell; approximately 234 chains via Upper Q.U'een Street and Khyber.Pass Road; and a]iproximately. . 250 chains via . "Anzac Avenue. The two latter rpute.s start from the'foot of Queen Street, while" the Grafton Bridge route is somewhat shorter. (2) Tho grades on the.existing routes are -such ha to recommend such a scheme as-will, materially reduce the Uplift necessary for motor traction to overcome, and thp proposed scheme provides just such ..an outlet, the average grade thereon from

Breakwater Road being approximately lr4 in 68. ' The level at Breakwater Road ■JI-hvlUt. above ordinary high water spring tides and the Newmarket station appioximatoly 166 ft. above The existing routes via Symonds Street rise to an elevation of 297 ft '/above ordinary high spring tides, an average grade of 1 in 22 from Wellesley Street, which has an approximate grade of 1 m 16 from the same point, with a still steeper grade above the 'lov.n Hifll, while Anzac Avenue has a grade of approximately 1 1 in 15. The existing route via Rarnell reaches an elevation 0f.214ft. at St. Stephen's Avenue, an average grado oi I in 22. including Alpha .. Road, which has a grade of 1 in 10 for ■.& longth of approximately 10 chains

' Investigation Urged. Proceeding,' Mr Ferneyhough states: — "Regarding "the Town Planning Association's proposed westerly artery from i'airfax Road to Park Road, it would appear io lie unnecff,;iiv if my piojiosal is car tied out, as IJi'iadway, Maniikau Uo:id, Klivbcr Pass Iliad rind Cni'lon ISr.dge would he largely relieved of the eastern and southern traflic pioceediru; to (lie lower part of I lie «• i! v. and the cost o! its const ruction would <7.1 n long way toward convci ting .the piesent donliie line of railway into a concrete highway anil the purchase of the Kite fiorn the ('overn • nient Mv selieine would entail the ucuntrmg fnitn the (Jovernnient of what ••will otherwise become a I,ranch line pro !■ a"j 1 v not earning 1 pei rent when (lie deviation is cu(inn ssioned. a.';d the lilingur, haelt §■> n.-e of the old Umr'! and track, which ai '{ue'ent e.ie lying idle 1 ha diverting of 'Parncli Road iMumi kaii Road !) at the vicinity ol the Domum Drive, travelling panillci with Iho pic.-,cut wiilway line through llie ou";ki|'ts n',. Uie U " n: " n '' '"recast l.y tiie Town Miltnttig Ah"nc"ritioii, lii i".!iy the ,:| '•:/ '»e. hut it V..-1.'.'l col ' ! V"' 1 ' '* <*<■ •.! r.llv t lie IiMSiS ° f T V * •' '" v • '• IK v ca-\ A' v.-.:i.d 1 v prov i, 01 1 '• as ri, . , Of «r.„ „ „ .. ;• ,lr my v v v s"', ~1 \ "■ 1 " ' h - x . | ■■■> , S ' ,r ~ V, > .1,(1 ~ f ; i:1 1 ''-y : in p ■ Vv? on the ,0 .he .'a * As the statin, i.i.d deviation will 1,0 completed in the near future, and 11. view of the Railway Depaitment'a Sale of see at Newmarket, at the end of this month,jit sefcins urgent that tho authorities' , eMoU ' opo ' sMito '»»» I