DAMAGE TO HIGHWAYS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19623, 5 May 1938, Page 4

DAMAGE TO HIGHWAYS

SLIPPING HILLSIDES NORTH ROUTE AFFECTED EXPECTED OPEN TO-DAY With the ground still saturated with the water from the storm of two weeks ago, hill country in the Poverty Bay and Coast districts was affected seriously yesterday and slips came down on numerous sections of the highways. Gisborne was isolated last evening and for the greater part of to-day, a slip on the GisborneOpotiki highway being cleared this afternoon and again opening up the northern outlet. The highways to Wairoa, via Morere and Tiniroto, were blocked all day. On the Gisborne-Wairoa highway, via Morere, the mam trouble was experienced at the ford at Faulkner's Reserve, Muriwai, where the current had scoured the surface metal off the ford and portion of the approach on the Morere side. The temporary bridge was not damaged. The Morere River overflowed its banks Vesterday and Mr. South's store, Morere, was evacuated. There were new slips on the road in the Morere district, but it was expected that they would be cleared to-day and that the service car leaving Gisborne at 1.30 p.m., and transferring passengers at Muriwai. would have an uneventful trip south to Wairoa. The route was not open, to private vehicles on account of the blockage at Muriwai.

Slips on Harris' Hill

Slips are reported on Harris' Hill on the Tiniroto State Highway, but were cleared at midday. Yesterday afternoon a. slip fell on Gentle Annie Hill, but that was cleared sufficiently to allow the passage of vehicles. Deep ruts had appeared on the highway near of vehicles.. The A.A. patrol issued, a warning that the road should not be used unless in case of dire necessity and then only by drivers of vehicles of over 14 h.p. The last car to make the trip between Opotiki and Gisborne . passed over McKay's bridge, Puha, late yesterday afternoon and that route was closed overnight. A depth of 6ft .of water covered the decking of the low-level bridge and later a slip fell on Trafford's Hill, north of Matawai. The night service Cc«r from Opotiki, which v.-ss scheduled to arrive at Gisborne before 10 p.m. yesterday, was held up by the flooding of the road and did not arrive until about 9 a.m. to-day. ,

The service car made good time to Matawai but was compelled to await the receding of the floodwaters across the highway at Mahaki. A further wait was necessary at Puha and as soon as the backwaters in the stream crossed by the bridge at Mr. McKay's had receded it was possible for the vehicle to complete its journey. Slip on Trafford's Hill

After the passage of the inward mail truck from Taneatua last evening a slip came down on the section of the road north of Matawai, on Trafford's Hill, and it was.expected to have the blockage cleared sufficiently for the passage of traffic at 3 p.m. to-day. There were no other slips in the Waioeka Valley this morning, but owing to the depth of some of the streams experienced drivers recommended that the road was not safe to-day for motorists in light caxs.

. The easterly storm lashed the Coast hills with all its fury and if the rain haa continued overnight it it without doubt that several serious blockages would have occurred. The hills were badly scarred and cracked. The approach to the bridge on Tatapouri Hill was eroded, but the run* ning slip a mile north of the Tatapouri Hotel was cleared this morning and the highway was clear to Tolaga Bay. The slip at Tatapouri caused no little concern yesterday afternoon. The surface of the hill, over an area 100yds. wide and a quarter of a mile uphill, had slipped away and a substance of the consistency of porridge was pouring on to the highway. That section was cleared this morning. Slips and Silt Deposits Beyond Tolaga Bay, however, it was reported that the condition of the highway was more serious. Water had overflowed the road at Mr. Peter Kumara's cutting and the Hikuwat River had risen over the road surface at Mangatuna. A slip had fallen also in Messrs. King Bros.' cutting near the Anaura Bay turn-off. Just to the north of that point there is a heavy deposit *f silt the HikU wai overflowed its banks. On the township side of the Toko maru Bay bridge the embankment carried away during the night and a gap of 15ft. yawned between the first span and the continuation of the! highway. It was expected that it would take a few days to repair the damage.

Ruatoria was cut off in all directions and residents had never seen so much water in Factory Creek. There were slips all along the road to Te Araroa. There was a substantial subsidence on the road between Te Puia and Ruatoria and further south the concrete water-crossings m the vicinity of Mangahauini had been damaged. The swing bridge in the Takapau Valley had been washed away.