GREAT SOUTH ROAD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20596, 21 June 1930, Page 14

GREAT SOUTH ROAD.

PAPAKURA TO MERCER.

PROPOSED SURFACING WORK.

HIGHWAYS BOARD'S ATTITUDE

"The Main Highways Board has dono its best to meet tho Franklin CountyCouncil in tho matter of paving the Great South Road from Papakura.to Mercer, and if wo woro to increase our subsidy wo should bo establishing a most unwiso precedent," said Mr. M. 11. Wynyard, motorists' representative on tho board, yesterday, in reference to tho decision of the County Council not to depart from its previous offer of £20,000 toward the cost of concreting tho'whole length and not to agree to any modification of the proposed paving from concrete to bitumen.

"Tho County Council has been in favour of concreting tho wholo section," Mr. Wynyard said. "Howevor, tho board is empowered to mako a subsidy only on tho basis of £3 for £l, and if tho council paid no more than £20,000 for tho paving in concrete, it would mean tho board's subsidy would havo to be increased to a basis of something like £6 for £l. This would be manifestly unfair to other local bodies, which havo paid their sharo of road work cost on tho ordinary basis. At any rate, wo aro not prepared to depart from the rule of a three to ono subsidy." Reducing Cost of Work. As the county bad informed the board that it could only contributo £20,000 toward tho total cost, tho board had {.hen to consider the question of cutting down the cost of the work, Mr. Wypyard continued. Tho road divided at tho Pulcokohe turn-off, 2.7 miles from Papakura, and from that point it was considered that half tho traffic branched off to Pukokoho and the other half continued on the main road. Therefore, it bad been proposed to concrete tho section from Papakura 'to the turn-off, and complete tho remainder by bituminous penetration, such as bad been used to pave tho road from Mercer to Rangiriri. Tho board was quito satisfied that a bitumen surface from the turn-off to Mercer would stand up to tho traffic on the road for many years. It had dono its bost to meet tho county in all matters, but lit could not givo a larger subsidy. As it was, the county's contribution to the cost of paving in concreto and bitumen would havo to be £30,000, tho total cost being £120,000. " Impossible to Start This Year." "We aro anxious to get this work dono, but it would bo impossible to mako a start with it this year," Mr. Wynyard added.- "Tho finances of tho board aro limited, and the amount available at present would not permit expenditure on this work as well as other work on tho Great South Road to which tho board is already committed. Even if wo had reached a settlement with the county it would be about two years beforo tho paving could bo completed. "Another point is that tho board is not satisfied with tho present maintenance of tho road. Until it can bo laid down in permanent paving it is essential that the county should maintain tho existing surface as well as possible. The board considers ' that tliero should bo spent £7OO a milo in maintenance to bring tho road up to standard. This, of course, includes a subsidy from the board on tho basis of £2 to £l.. The county has made provision for maintenance expenditure to the extent of about £425 a milo, inclusive of subsidy."