WAIOEKA ROAO

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16201, 26 November 1926, Page 7

WAIOEKA ROAO

PROGRESS MAINTAINED EFFICIENT METHODS NEED FOR COMPLETION (Special to the Herald.) OP ATI VALLEY, this day. The Waioeka road, which will eventually form a link between Oisborne and Opotiki and winch is at present under construction, is destined to become one of the most important highways in the district. The grade is infinitely better than that on the Motu-Opotiki road, and the newroad will be more easily maintained. It will provide an invaluable second outlet from Poverty Bay to the Bay of Plenty, and also will make a tourist route that will, to some extent, rival the wonderful Motu road. The scenery, of course, is of a different, nature*, giving glimpses of rugged bush-clad hills and winding mountain torrents as against the beautiful bush scenery of the Motu-Opotiki road. . Seventeen years ago the Waioeka district was opened for selection and the settlers were promised that a road would be put through. They are still without a through highway, but every day the distance separating the two ends of the formed road is being lessened, and within the next IS months there should be a second route between Poverty Bay and the Bay of Plenty. Already the settlers have benefitted to a considerable extent, for they can now get wagons and cars into their properties where formerly they were forced to rely on packhorses.

Two years ago a stretch of 12 miles separated the two ends of the road, but to-day there is only a gap of from ~> to 6 miles, and when the present road contract is completed next March there will be a distance of only three miles left to be completed. A BIG CONTRACT The first contract for the formation of two miles was let to N.Z. Roads, Ltd., last year, and rapid progress was made from the start. At the time the contract was undertaken, the formed road went only as far as Trafford's, a road which had been formed for some three miles from that point onwards having been almost destroyed by many slips. This was cleaved before the contract was commenced in order that the necessary plant could he taken In to the work.

Forty men were immediately put to work, and as time went on the gang was increased, with the result that th" contract was completed well ahead jii! the stipulated period. The actual work occupied only ten months, despite the fact that storms and ftoo'Js seriously hampered the work during the winter. At one time, indeed, it was impossible to convey the stoics into the camp so high were the rivers, and the men were almost to the stage of short rations before the conditions moderated. This section of the road went close to Chilcott's, and the Public Works Department, realising that it. would miss a golden opportunity if it let the contractors remove all their plant before calling tenders for another section, about two months ago called for tenders for the formation of an additional three miles of road.

MODERN APPLIANCES

The contract was no sooner lot tliau tho successful tenderers, N.Z. Road?, Ltd, go) together a larger gang of men than before and went rapidly ahead. Much of the road is being cut out of the solid rock cliffs, and in order to facilitate the work of roadmaking a pneumatic drill is employed. By means of this many holes up to 14ft. in deptli are drilled every day in the solid rock and explosives used to bring down large faces at the one time. ' This is the only possible method by which the rough job could be tackled, for in many cases (lie dill's rise straight from the river, hundreds of feet, and a great- deal of stone has to lie dislodged before a safe road can be put through. With the large gang of 70 men nowemployed on the road, the formation work on the easier going is extremely rapid, and the method adopted by the foreman, Mr. P. Donnelly, is to complete the formation work until a metal face is reached, and then to leave the pneumatic drill to work there, while the remainder of the men go ahead and work on the formation of the next easy stretch. A WEEK 'S PROGRESS.

Home idea of the efficiency of the methods employed on the work may be gained from the fact that in one week the road was completely formed for half a mile, while at the same time preparation for drilling and blasting was carried out. A unique sight, indicative of the organised system adopted, was witnessed to-day, for ou a stretch of about half a mile, at a curve by the river 40 men could be seen in line, and hard at work on the formation. Cuttings in different stages of completion could be seen close to a. steep cliff formation, and the sight provided a striking illustration of tho efficient manner in which modern road-making contracts are put through, especially when one visualised the old-time system of half a dozen men working with wheelbarrows on an important highway. SIXTEEN FOOT ROAD The road now under construction will serve not only the needs of the settlers in the district, but also the requirements of- tourist traffic, for it, is being made a full 16ft. in width. The only unfortunate part of the business is that the road between Trafford's and the commencement of the first contract is only about 10ft. in width, and prior to the completion of the whole road, it would seem advisable that this weakness should be remedied. Tho fact that there is a short stretch of badly-formed road, in what otherwise will be a fine highway, will prove a serious defect in time to come, and the sooner it is remedied the better. FINDING THE MONEY

The whole of the road is being constructed for the Public Works Department, which has to find the total cost. Up to the present the roading work haa proved fairly expensive and has cost in the vicinity of £3OOO a mile. The grades and levels are worked out by the surveyors attached to the Department, and the contractors merely complete the road in accordance with the ideas of the Department's engineers. The expenditure of another .t'DOOO should complete the whole of the formation work, and give additional access between Poverty Bay and the Bay of Plenty. The road will then l)e a serviceable one, but in order tha,t it be available for all classes of traffic further widening and grading work will hare to be carried out on previously formed portions. The widening from Trafi'ord's onwards would probably cost in the vicinity of £3OOO, and for the expenditure of a small sum in addition to this a. line highway could be provided.