DISTRICT ROADS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17130, 4 September 1926, Page 6

DISTRICT ROADS

A BROKEN PROGRAMME JOBS HERE AND THERE The excellent results shown sis a result of Inst season's work on the main roads were obtained by a concentration of attention on one or two sections, wiier there was scope for great improvement, and. where plant could lie handled in a large way. Though the work to lie undertaken by the Public Works Department, during the coming season is expected to yield results just .is important. Lhe progress of the work will nr.l be so manifest, owing to jhe fuel that the programme calls for a wider distribution of energy. F.ost summer, traveller::, on the main coast road were able, to measure week by week the progress of the metalling., but this year only those whose business cariies thenv further abroad will have that opportunity.

The programme of the summer's work lias already been put in band, with the preparation of the necessary plans. Che of the first tasks to be tackled when the weather clears will be the completion of the top course of tbe. metalling on the Gisborne-Tolaga road. The bottom course on the full length of this road was laid last year, but time did not permit of the finishing off of the job. The principal wbject of last summer's work was to make the road passable for tbe whole of the year, and the experience of the past year has shown how successfully that was done. The road cannot Ik- left in the present state, however, for the. passage of heavy 1 rattle over the unprotected bottom course of, metal Mould' certainly result in serious damage, if long continued;. Tbe winter traffic has already bad' an effect on t.be road' where the metalling was not finished off. and repairs will have to be made wbeu tbe weather clears up. Altogether there is a length of some thirteen miles on which the top course has yet to he laid, and a fleet of lorries will be employed carrying the metal as soon as it can be done without causing' further damage to the road. It is likely that: private lorries will be rented, for this work, as there are plenty available, and it will thus be possible to manage without the conveyance of the Department's lorries from other districts. UPPER. COAST ROAD.

There is scattered! work to lie done on the top end of the ('cast road, a series of metalling works requiring attention. These will be delegated to the County authorities, and will be pushed as far ahead as possible . with the plant at the command 7)f the respective counties. Certain portions of the read are notoriously bad. and will be taken in hand immediately motor lorries can be put. on tbe road'; thus tho existfng stretches of metal will in due course be connected up, and the policy of "a continuous metal road from Oisborne lo Kicks Bav" be brought nearer to realisation. f There is a section of the Hangaroa road, to the south-west- of Gisborne, that will be metalled this season, according to the. plans laid. This portion is about three or four miles long, and will represent several months' work to a number of men. The road will he regraded as the work proceeds, hut there uill be no extensive deviation. One big deviation work which will have to be undertaken on this route later will <ut. out about seven miles of the existing road', and will take a new course down the Rere hills. This is work that will be eminently suitable for the employment of relief labor, .and will conseriucntly he undertaken during nextwinter, the metalling of the section following in the summer.