A DANGEROUS ROAD

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7451, 27 May 1911, Page 14

A DANGEROUS ROAD

NGAHATJEANGA TO JOHNSONVILLE. THE COST OP EEPAIES. * The Ngahauranga Gorgo road was discussed at a special meeting of the Makara Council Council yesterday, there being present: Councillors G. Monk (chairman), P. T. Moore, P. H. Hawkins, S. Bryant, and J. Haggerty. Mr J. P, Luke, M P. for the district, and the Mayors of Wellington (Mr T. M. Wilford, M.P.) and Onslow. (Mr P. Holdsworth), were present hy invitation. Invitations were also sent to the chairmen of the Johnsonville Town Board and Hutt County Council, but those bodies wore not represented at the meeting. Councillor Moore urged upon the meeting the necessity for widening and generally improving the road. He pointed out that the width now from twelve to eighteen feet, and was in the same condition in regard to width as it was when laid out when Wellington came into being. The traffic was increasing daily and the road was unsafe. The approaches to the wooden bridges, end the' bridges themselves were in a state of .disrepair and needed replacing by concrete structures. The Makara county had charge of the road, but as other "local bodies were interested it was manifestly unfair to ask such a small local authority to bear all the cost of repair and inprovement. A rough estiinate of the cost of widening tne road to thirty feet for about half its distance — jn the worst places—had been obtained from a contractor, the figure being £SOOO. . ■ , Mr Luke-,said it was desirable that the road should be improved. After inter viewing the Minister for Public Works h<s wa* fully convinced that unless the local bodies concerned were prepared to combine for the carrying out of a general scheme and contributed towards the cost was no use approaching the Government. If his suggestion were acted upon they might be able to get a subsidy from the Government of XI for ill. Assuming that ,£SOOO was borrowed under the Local Bodies’ Loans Act at the rat© of per cent., plus XI 7s Gd per cent for sinking fund, it would mean £A 17s 6d per cent; per annum, or X 243 15s for the XSOOO, and the cost of the undertaking would be wiped out in thirty-six and a half years. H© thought it might be wise to go further and widen the road for the whole of its length, which it had been estimated would cost X 7500. Mr Wilford said ho would like to know how many local bodies were to be brought into the scheme. The proposal, in its present'stage savoured too much of the "stand and deliver” order. Where was the estimate of cost obtained, and was the city to be asked to contribute, and-was it to give its weight to a deputation only? He could not^commit the council on such meagre details. He suggested that a commissioner should bo asked to proportion the cost to each local authority, as had formerly been done in the Hutt road case. If was quite necessary to have something definite before the meeting. Mr Holdeworth said he knew nothing of the matter prior to that morning. He pointed out that the Gorge road was not used by Onslow, and it would only be used in, the event of his borough's own thoroughfare "breaking down.” The chairman said Onslow was only needed to give it* weight to th« deputation. The-road was certainly in a bad condition, especially near the municipal abattoir, ana something needed to be done at once. Mr Wilford eaid that if a proper estimate and report were forwarded to him he would see that the city engineer would repart on the feasibility of the scheme and the expense necessary to carry it out. It was a matter of finance, 1 and’he suggested that the county should wait on the finance committee of the City Council and give expression to the

opinions put forth now. The thin? was. too hald for him to take any action at present. . ■ . . ~ It was decided on the motion of Cojvm-# cillor Moore, seconded by Councillor Bryant, to obtain a report from a com-Ik-tent engineer on the road from Ng-a-hauranga to Johnsonvillo together with an estimate of tho cost to improve it, widen it to thirty feet, and substitute concrete bridges for the wooden ones. It was also decided to wait on the finance! committee of tho City Council and write to tho local bodies concerned seeking their co-operation.