SPLENDID SEASON

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19122, 17 September 1936, Page 4

SPLENDID SEASON

PUBLIC WORKS JOBS UNBROKEN WINTER WORK HIGHWAYS AND BY-ROADS Votes available for the Gisborne road district and the highways under the supervision of the district engineer at Gisborne, Air. O. G. Thornton, will provide ample scope for the staffs of the Public Works Department and the respective county councils during the summer and autumn.

The difficulty faced by all authorities handling works of a public character will he to find sufficient trained men for preparation of the works, and their supervision. There will be no shortage of money for the projects to he taken in hand’ by the respective bodies, judging -by the liberal provision made by the Minister of Public Works for both highways and byroads, and bridge structures in this district.

Discussing the votes to-day, Air. O. G. Thornton mentioned that works which were being carried on from last year, and did not call for the preparation of specifications and other engineering data, would furnish activity for his own departmental staff and for local bodies at once. Works for which the approval of head office had to he obtained might have to stand over longer than usual, at least in some cases, owing to the rush of work awaiting attention. Alen c-ould not be employed on the various works until authorities for expenditure were received. WORK ON TARNDALE ROAD. Among the major tasks of the new reading season w-ould he the completion of formation work on the Tarndale road, in the Whatatutu area, where the old road in the valley was being abandoned as the through route, in favour of a new road now being constructed along the ridges well above the river. Flood damage from year to year had rendered the maintenance of the old road a difficult and costlv business, and the new route, though it involved heavy expenditure, would justify itself by giving regular and flood-free communication for settlors in the Waipaoa Valley. The £16,000 made available for the work under the department’s supervision there probably would be sufficient to carry on until the turn of the financial year, and there was a good chance of the formation on this road being completed before next winter.

Progress with this job had been facilitated hv the prevalence of good weather throughout the last winter period, Air. Thornton stated, there having been comparatively little time lost on the job through breaks in the weather, and the men having! been continuously in touch with the work. The spring had been just as favourable, and a surprising amount ot work had been carried out since March last-

The department’s share of the work on this road covered a distance of 14J, miles, carrying on from a length of 6A miles formed bv the Waikohu County Council. The county work had yet to he brought up to the 'higher standard of the department's length, but widening and general improvement probably could be effected part of maintenance on the route. DISTRICT BRIDGE WORK The Rakauroa-Tahora road, for which £7OOO is available in the Public Works estimates, is to be metalled this summer, formation having been practically completed during last season. On the highways, sufficient money will be available 'for such work as can be done on the Kaitaratahi bridge, to replace the old wooden structure, and for metalling work on the top end of the main East Coast road. An interesting feature of this year’s work on the Coast road will be the erection of a new concrete bridge at Turiliaua, to replace the short wooden bridge which has carried traffic at that point for many years.

The new Turihaua bridge, for which tenders will be invited shortly, will be built about two chains nearer highwater mark on the coastline than the site of the present structure, and will enable the road to be carried across the stream in a gradual sweep, eliminating the hazards of the sharp bend taken by the ,-oad now. The bridge itself will he unusual so far as this district is concerned, in that it will be built on a curve, and canted to the angle of the road, the seaward edge of the decking being Ift. or more lower than the landward edge. There will be four 45ft. spans ill the new bridge, which will have a width of 24ft.