"ALMOST ESSENTIAL"

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22738, 26 November 1935, Page 12

"ALMOST ESSENTIAL"

GREEN ISLAND TRAFFIC TUNNEL OPINION OF BOROUGH ENGINEER " The facilities that could be provided by such a road are almost essential now and will become more and more necessary as time goes on," said Mr F. J. Williams, engineer to the Green Island Borough Council, yesterday, when asked to comment on the suggestion made by Mr A. E. Ansell at the Green Island Borough jubilee on Saturday that the old Caversham railway tunnel should be converted into a traffic tunnel. " The secondary industries of Green Island are growing all the time," he continued, " and they demand better access to the port than is now available." There were various matters which would call for careful consideration before a definite scheme could be put forward, Mr Williams said. The entrances did . not present any great engineering difficulties, as it would be an easy matter to connect up the Caversham end with the Valley road, and at the Burnside end it would be a simple task to follow the old railway track from the tunnel and bring the'road round to join the Kaikorai Valley road at the south end of the saleyards.

The tunnel would, of course, require to be widened. It was at present only. about 14 feet wide and would require to be fully 20 feet in order to provide for two-way traffic. It would probably be found necessary also to allow a greater height than was at present provided, and this could most readily be done by lowering the floor a matter of six feet. On account of the large amount of motor traffic which would use the tunnel, adequate ventilation would also have to be provided.' The question of estimating the cost was a matter which could not be dealt with off .hand, Mr Williams continued, as a great number of factors would have to be taken into consideration, and, again, there was the necessity for deciding where the money was to come from. Such an undertaking would, however, provide work for a large number of unemployed and it would not take them very far from their homes.

The city engineer (Mr J. G. Alexander), when asked his opinion of the proposal, said he was not prepared to offer any comment at this stage. He could only say that the tunnel was still the property of the Railways Department and" the city at present held a lease. The possibility of using the tunnel without making any extensive alterations was mentioned by an official of the Automobile Association of Otago. He suggested that even as a one-way road for the use of heavy traffic bringing loads into the city it would prove an outstanding boon to the industries located on the other side of the hill.