MANGAHAO BRIDGE LIMITED

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLXII, Issue 15240, 5 January 1943, Page 2

MANGAHAO BRIDGE LIMITED

SAFETY LIMIT THREE TONS: Wartime conditions have la*id a heavy hand on yet another river bridge in this county. Today the overseer, Mr S. Macrae, announces tiie unavoidable imposition of a 3-ton restriction on all loads to be carried over Mangahao bridge. The position is that today tin® 50-year-old wooden structure is transporting traffic of a density and tonnage beyond anything conceived when it was built. The Public Works Department agreed W make good any damage caused by heavy traffic between the railway and a big contract reached via the bridge but as early as August the County Council viewed the position with grave concern and made urgent representations to the P.W.D. engineer. At the September County Council meeting the secretary, Mr J. Hutton, tabled the following report : “Correspondence is before you today from the Public Work* Department acknowledging receipt of your representations in the matter of loads being transported over the .Mangahao Bridge in connection with works being carried out under the supervision of this Deparment. From what the County Overseer reports, excessive loads, are stall being carted over this bridge. Much hardship and inconvenience, especially to the dairying industry will ensue if this bridge becomes untenable through the disregard of reasonable loading ; limits being transported over. this bridge/ * The secretary was authorised to 2>qint out to the P.W.D. that unless something was done immediately, restrictions would be imposed in the interest* of public safety and those restriction* might actually 1 tamper completion of urgent national work. The department patched up the road and overlooked the bridge. Now the wool is coming in to tho railway and the dairy season has several months to go. The three-ton limit will require drovers to exercise caution. Tho whole position is very uncertain and inconvenient but so is the bridge.