ROADS IN THE NORTH.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21130, 12 March 1932, Page 12

ROADS IN THE NORTH.

DOME VALLEY TO BE CLOSED. PROGRESS OF IMPROVEMENTS. METALLING AN IMPORTANT LINK. The opinion that motor traffic travelling to the Far North would have to uso tho Kaipara Flats-Port Albert detour route between Warkworth and Wellsford until further notice, instead of the Dome Valley, was expressed by tho touring manager of tho Auckland Automobile Association yesterday, after inspecting the reconstruction work in tho Dome Valley between Auckland and Whangarci. He said the Domo Valley would, however, be open for traffic during the Easter holidays, provided fine weather prevailed. Sinco Christmas a largo amount of new road had been constructed in the Dome Valley, bub up to the present it had not interfered with the old alignment, he said. At present, however, at the southern end of the Dome Hill, a big filling had entirely covered the existing road and lorries carting metal to tho finished section further north were using a rough detour track, permitting only one-wny traffic. On the northern side of the hill the existing steep banks were being cut back, and spoil was constantly falling on to the road, which was now reduced to a narrow path on which scoops were operating, transferring the fallen debris to make fillings to widen tho running surface on either side of tho cutting. At this point frequent blasting was necessary to remove a solid rock formation which had been encountered. To add to the difficulty of the work the heavily-laden metal lorries had also to pass over this section.

The. touring manager said ho considered it would bo extremely unwise and probably dangerous to permit ordinary motor traffic to use the road under present conditions. Engineers of the Public Works Department had, however, assured him that if possible the Dome Valley would be reopened for a time at Easter, bat would have to be closed for the winter once wet weather set in. There had been considerable agitation for the completion of this important link in the main highway sysLoin of the North, and it was now expected that the metal would be laid early next spring. Good progress was also being made with the metalling of the West Coast Road, the touring manager said. It was expected that there would bo a metalled link between Tauhoa and Kaukapakapa for the winter, thus completing an allweather road between Ilelensville and Wellsford.