HIGHWAYS BOARD

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12040, 19 January 1925, Page 2

HIGHWAYS BOARD

• APPUCATIONS FOB, - DEPAiVMBNr S* NEW POLICY. 'V, ,« *7 (The-first meetia(j'of~to* Main Highways Boar H-for JJ**® Furmg -the members'ijiMifae hoard had carried out dfftoar pf the' /Auckland district witbjwwsew, to inspecting wofks which it Ivaa 1 proposed to . carry 'out. Member* of the hoard stated they were, impressed with, the .kenness shown, by almost every, local) authority .to- fake advantage , of: the highways; pcheme, but the inclination: ofdocal bodies to embark upon ’ extensive -' and \ - expensive Aehemesbf reconsteucticm dn.' existing, yoade, which',', if*proFerly : maintained, weuld meet. traffic ■:reqtnreii[eht» for sofhe tiineE'to eufife, 'Was , evident m every locafiisri li 'i tonSeffUetioe, , the Beard decided W6ek’6<meeting, that’ befoi'e 'it', will agree to subsidise any reconstruction scheme .in f uture it must; have before it’ a financial state • 'muut'sujjported by traffic, tallies, etc., proving that such, reconstruction wih bo an eeohomip proposition to the rate payers, This decision, it is hoped, will load to improved road surfaces by the adoption of up-to-date and economic maintenance methods, instead of re*construction being regarded as. the only means of improving existing road surfaces. Provisional proposals for reconstruction in the Manawutu County, amounting to £139,000. and the Waiteniata Ooiinty, amounting to £57,000, were considered by the hoard, but they are to <be referred baok to the local authori.tiee concerned for the purpose of .obtaining information showing the econonrao .result before the proposals are dealt with. ' TOLL GATES. At the past few meetings the board has hed before it the question of abolition of toll gates in Taranaki. It will be recalled that there is no power to ; maintain or establish a toll gate on a j main highway, ■ and those of roads affected by toll gates in Taranaki were expressly omitted) from the roads' declared to be main highways. ,Two of the gateSj Waihi in the Clifton County (on .the main rood to toe north of Now Plymouth) and, the Waipuku gate in the Stratford County (on the Main North road between Stratford and Inglewood) are to be closed, and at the meeting certain alternative proposals were decided upon in con- 1 nection , with the others. These are to be submitted to the Government for consideration. QUESTIONS. , The condition of the Main North read in the Makara County again came up for, discussion, and the board decided, on condition that the Makara County endeavours to havd the section of road immediately north from Johnson ville put in order, to undertake the improvement of the section from toe county boundary at Faramata for a distance of approximately' five miles to the south. This section requires considerable improvement in alignment, as .well as improvement in the surface. and the board intends, after attending to the alignment, to' put .down an experitoental gravel surface, .which will be maintained by of the board’s officers. • The Suburban Highways'Board .intimated that it would be prepared to allow 1 an experiment, section, consisting of hot-mix, bitumen penetration, tar sealed, as well as macadam and gravel surfaces, in the Lower .? Huti orough and Johnsonville area. The road in toe Hutt Borough is l not a main highway, and the hoard could not make any subsidy towards the cost on the section suggested' by the Suburban Highways Board. It is willing, however, to proceed with the laying down of an experimental section cn the main highway beyond Lower Hutt.,, ‘

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