ROAD IMPROVEMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 16 January 1935, Page 10

ROAD IMPROVEMENT

WORK IN THE PATEA COUNTY. MONTHLY COUNCIL MEETING. Extensive improvements to the hillsides and to the road surfaces on the Manawapou and Whenuakura hills in the Patea county will shortly be made. Tenders for the work were accepted at yesterday’s meeting of the Patea County Council. Mr. S. Bunn, Stratford, was the successful tenderer for the Manawapou hill contract, and Messrs. A. J. Chard and Son secured the Whenuakura hill contract. Improvements to the Waitotara hill are contemplated, but certain negotiations were left at yesterday’s meeting to a sub-«committee. The work on the Manawapou hill will consist of the elimination of all bad corners and projections of earth on the Patea side from the Manawapou river bridge to where the new work ended at the top of the hill, a distance of about 33 chains. The road will be widened and straightened as far as possible throughout the entire 33 chains, and all the unevenness in grade will be removed. The work necessitates the removal of 13,850 yards of material, a great deal of which will be used for filling and widening purposes. The new roadway, which will be 18 feet wide, will be metalled and maintained as a macadam road for the first winter and a bituminous surface will be laid in the following season, as was done at the Kakaramea waterhole. Similar work will be done on the Waverley side of the Whenuakura hill on the main highway from about 20 chains above the Whenuakura river bridge for a distance of about 24 chains until it meets the new work at the top of the hill. About 4850 yards vf material will have to be removed. The engineer (Mr. J. N. Anderson) reported that the offset grader had completed the work in the Moeawatea Valley and on the Mataimoana Road to Ross’ gate. The Waitotara Valley and Makakaho Road had been graded and surfacing had been don j on the Waitotara Valley highway. In the Waverley riding the offset grader was working on the Upper Okutuku and Mataimoana Roads. In Otoia East riding Maben Road sustained damage during the heavy rain at New Year, but most had been repaired. A bridge north of the old suspension bridge was completely washed away, but so far he had not inspected the damage nor estimated the cost of renewal. The road to the freezing works was being reconstructed. The authorities for all Government grants having come to hand, work in the Otoia West riding had been principally confined to grant jobs, and metal had been laid on Wilford Road. Wainoa Road and Upper Ball Road were nearly completed. A section of Ball Highway had been resealed. The two-coat seal at the Kakaramea waterhole was completed. The chairman said he had been approached by the Automobile Association (South Taranaki) rejarding signs on the road at the dangerous Ball Road railway crossing. The engineer stated that the work would be done shortly on the lines suggested by the Main Highways Board. The words “railway crossing” would be painted in large white letters some distance from the line, and nearer the line two wide white parallel lines would be painted, with a line running along the centre of the road up to the line. Reference was made by councillors to the danger at the Wilson Road crossing between Kakaramea and the Pariroa pa road. It was decided to ask the Railway Department what steps it was prepared to take to eliminate or to minimise the danger. One councillor suggested that the only remedy was a subway under the railway line. Those present were Messrs. W. G. Belton (chairman), J. Lupton, R. G. Scown, R. J. Watt, D. Hurley jun., W. H. Watkins, C. E. Johnston, W. Back and J. Peat.