PAEKAKARIKI HILL

Taranaki Daily News, 28 November 1934, Page 13

PAEKAKARIKI HILL

an alternative highway. COST OF COASTAL ROUTE. To avoid the difficulties to traffic created by the Paekakariki Hill on the existing main highway north of Wellington, Mr. W. H. Field, M.P., recently made representations to the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. J. Bitchener, for an examination to be made of the desirability of constructing a road from Plimmerton through Pukerua Bay and’ to Paekakariki by way of the coastline. An encouraging reply has been made by the Minister, who has stated that he will be pleased to give consideration to a report on the proposal being prepared. “I have for many years been anxious to see the route from Paremata by way of Plimmerton and Pukerua Bay to Paekakariki adopted as part of the main north-south highway,” Mr. Field stated in his letter to the Minister. “The two miles constructed south from Pukerua Bay constitute the first and the bridge and road to Plimmerton (now under consideration by the Main Highways Board) would be the second step toward the construction of this vital national work. Local bodies and other associations of citizens and individual citizens generally who are directly interested, and in particular those who have to use the present Paekakariki Hill road, are entirely with me in this matter and look to me as member for the Otaki electorate to push this work to the utmost of my ability. “THE ONE WEAK SPOT.” “The Paekakariki Hill road is the one weak spot on the main road from Wellington North to New Plymouth, Napier, Auckland and the intermediate centres. It has been widened, sealed and otherwise improved at heavy cost, and it must, of course, be maintained, as an alternative portion of the main highway. But it is quite unfit for the main highway traffic of the future. It has many bad bends and is therefore dangerous; it climbs 850 feet; it will always be subject to slips ... and in many places there is no room for the flood waters to get away; indeed, in cases' of heavy downpours such as have occurred .within my recollection many chains of this road are likely to be washed away. “Futhermore, the higher levels of the hill are frequently in winter subject to heavy fogs. There have been cases in thick, rainy weather and heavy , winds where motorists have stayed all night in their cars on the hill rather than run the risk of picking their way over the road • and encountering Other motor vehicles, particularly the heavy lorries which travel on this road throughout the night. The cost of maintaining' this road will, I fear, always be a serious item. “The location for this main highway by way of Paremata, Plimmerton and Pukerua Bay to Paekakariki has enormous advantages. It is almost straight, without a bad bend anywhere, and therefore of excellent visibility; it will save from four to five miles in distance and, say, 20 minutes in time; it climbs only 230 feet; it can never be subject to slips except possibly in one short length getting down from Pukerua Bay to the beach level, and it can never be flooded. One practical than has assured me that the length of the road where it actually follows the shore could be constructed for £30,000.” In his reply Mr. Bitchener said he thought a certain amount of information was already available, although nothing in the nature of a detailed survey seemed to have been made at any time.