HIGHWAY REPAIRS

Southland Times, Issue 21849, 28 October 1932, Page 8

HIGHWAY REPAIRS

DUNEDIN-INVERCARGILL. WET WEATHER DEVIATION. A few days ago it was announced that as widening work necessitating the closing of the section of the main In-vercargill-Dunedin highway between Waipahi and Arthurton for about six weeks is in progress it was intended to divert traffic via the Waipahi-Poma-haka highway and Young’s Road. As part of Young’s Road is unsuitable for traffic in wet weather, in the event of rain a deviation by the McNab-Wai-koikoi-Waipahi route was recommended. Action has now been taken, however, to have the clay section of Young’s Road gravelled so that it will be suitable for use in all weathers and will provide a detour only one mile longer than the direct route by the main road. On Tuesday Mr G. Tapper, chairman of the Southland Motor Association’s Road Traffic Committee and Mr J. S. Dick, secretary of the association, motored to Waipahi to confer with Mr Begg, of the Public Works Department, Dunedin, who is in charge of the reconstruction work on the main highway, Mr G. S. Gould, engineer for the Clutha County Council, and representatives of the Otago Motor Club regarding the detour. The primary object of the visit was to inquire regarding a wet-weather detour, which, in the ordinary course of events, would have been via McNab and Waikoikoi. Many motorists will remember the detour between Arthurton and Waipahi as this was used at the time the Arthurton bridge was being constructed about three years ago. There is a distance of about 30 chains of clay on the detour where the surface becomes badly cut up in wet weather. The suggestion was made to the engineers that the simplest way to provide for a wet-weather detour would be to have this section gravelled. Arrangements were finalized yesterday morning for the Public Works Department to quarry and break up the metal with their relief gang at a nearby quarry and, through Mr Cumming, the county riding member, for the cartage and spreading of the metal by the County engineer’s staff. It had previously been decided to close the main highway from Tuesday, but the closing has been delayed for a week when, it is expected, the metalling work will be completed. The distance by this detour from Arthurton to Waipahi is five miles, against four miles by the main road. Suitable direction signs are being placed at each end of the detour.