THE FINEGAND ROAD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26748, 17 April 1948, Page 9

THE FINEGAND ROAD

Sir —ln your issue of April 1 the result of a' deputation of freezing workers to the last meeting of the Clutha County Council is recorded. These men asked that the council do something to improve the road from Balclutha to the freezing works at Finnegand. In reply, the chairman stated that there was little chance of having the road tar-sealed because a new deviation was planned. The council decided io experiment with pit gravel (whatever that is) in combination with river gravel as a means of preventing corrugation, while at the same time making efforts to have the speed limit on the road reduced to 30 miles an houi. This means that nothing is being done immediately to improve the road ana minimise the “death trap’ aspect it presents to the workers, as one of tne deputationists inferred. This “ deviation so-called (it is not really a deviation, but a new road) might fittingly be described as a champion bunch of carrots, dangled before the local public for the past 10 years or so. The new road has been planned by the Public Works Department to run parallel with the present riverside road, from which it would be separated by only a'chain or two. But it would require a large expenditure, ana would give but precious little utility beyond that of the present load. The latter only requires to be widened in places and in other places raised a few feet —an easy matter with the abundant gravel that is bandy. The South Otago Freezing Company hoard of directors are surely interested as much as the workers ill getting a halfway decent road to the works, yet it has never sent a deputation to the council to demand that something be done. The directors would command attention, for do they not pay some £SOO a year in rates to the council on company property? .. , Some 10 years ago a fatality occurred on one of the narrow bridges on the road, and the coroner at the inquest following commented that the bridge that caused the accident was too narrow and should be widened to admit of two-way traffic. This was conceded necessary by all, and the Public Works Department and the council were approached. But nothing was every done, on one pretext or another, except cut a few willow trees blocking a view of the approach.—l am, c tc.. CountrymanBalclutha, April 7. [Abridged.—Ed., 0.D.T.l