CONCRETE OR BITUMEN?

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16871, 28 October 1925, Page 5

CONCRETE OR BITUMEN?

AN AUCKLAND ROAD. The competition between concrete- and bitumen for road-making is becoming brisk. So far most Auckland Irvcnl bodies have favored concrete, while in Taranaki and Wellington bitumen seems to have won the day. A new development has just taken place in regard to the suburbnn section of the Great South road. The local bodies favored connote, but the Alain Highways Board demurred on account cf the high cost, and suggested surfacing with bituminous ecu '•veto. The cost per mile of bituminous concrete as required by the Highways Board is estimated at between £?CO3 and £IO,OOO. The cost of a permanent concrete road is estimated at lie tween £IO,OOO and £11,003 per mile.

'At a. meeting of the local bodies in tcrested an offer was made by the Wilson (New Zealand) Portland Cement Com pany to undertake to construct the road for- the distance stipulated and in accordance with the plans at a cost of between £BOOO and ££ooo per mile. This is cheaper than the other method, and has the advantage that- the material used is a local production, whovenis all bitumen lias to he imported.

The local bodies concerned, after con »w|oring the otter made, unanimously decided to ask the Highways Board to approve of the proposal rind also- to eontribute 50 per cent, of the cost.