THE RANGITATA BRIDGE

Temuka Leader, Issue 10734, 27 December 1924, Page 3

THE RANGITATA BRIDGE

i STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN OE GERALDINE C.C. Mr K. Mackenzie, 'Chairman of the Geraldine County Council, addressing the members at the meeting on Monday last, said: “Since we last met the Minister of Public Works, at the invitation of the member for the district, paid a visit to the Comity. The Ministerial party’s first stop was at Ealing, where deputations of settlers were heard (1) on turning the whole of the Rangitata river into the north branch, (2) building a bridge over -.both branches of the river at the railway; (3) bridging the south branch at Badham’s Ford! (4) extension of the Geraldine River Board area to include a strip of country on the Ashburton side of the river; (5) Coldstream and other settlers protesting against any proposals to turn the river into the north branch. Most of the councillors were present, but took no part in the discussions or expressed any opinions on the various proposals. We were merely interested lookers-on. The continual disagreement of the interested parties, coupled with some wire pulling, is makig it very difficult for this Council to do anything at the Rangitata. The Coulncil submitted a proposal to bridge the river at the railway to the Minister last session of Parliament, together with our other bridge building programme, but now there is an agitation from “somewhere” to have a through bridge at the railway. The Minister advises that the Rangitata bridge over the south branch be removed from our bridge schedule. Further anything that is done by way of bridging the river at the railway must be done in conference with the Ashbu/rton County Highway Board and this Council, who will each have to bear their share of the cost. It looks as if the interested parties are interviewing the different local bodies, the member for the district, and the Minister, and playing one off against the other, with the idea of forcing a big expenditure on a through bridge which the local bodies interested cannot see their way to face at present without materially .raising the rates. I think it would be a good move if Ashburton County • and ourselves met and discuss.ed, and arrived at some definite plan of action that would be in the best interests of the greatest number of those affected by the Rangitata river. The chairman said they had submitted their bridge proposals to the Minister, who had agreed it was a sensible one, but he had not; agreed that they could be given , authority to go on with the work as he could not pledge a--depart-ment whose personnel might be changed by a change of government ; The Minister however, had promised help and advised them to go 1 ahead with the poll and take the ( risk. He had asked that the rev- 1 enue from the reserve in the river be given them to be used for river protective work. The chairman said they -had written to the Ashburton Council regarding the late accident, and had suggested that the : ■weight of loads over the bridge be limited to five tons.

“I regret to say an accident occurred on the Rangitata Bridge, a steam lorry going through the decking and breaking jabout six planks and blocking traffic for some time. This is what this Council has been expecting would happen, and, the attention of the Ashburton County Council, who are the controllingauthority, was called to the unsatisfactory state of the decking, some two years ago. A conference with the Ashburton Council and the members of this Council was also held at the bridge over twelve months ago, when estimates of the cost of re-decking the bridge tvere submitted by our Engineer, Mr C. E. Brenmer, and the Geraldine Council again stressed the necessity of something being done. I hope ratepayers on both sides of the river and the -travelling public, will recognise that this Council, not being the controlling authority, is not actually responsible fC- the repair and upkeep of this bridge. Ashburton County have full charge; we merely pay half the cost of any work done. I notice one of the papers in reporting the accident, said it is another argument for a bridge over the, Rangitata,at the railway. It is nothing of the kind; for if a bridge is built /at the railway the present traffic bridge will still have to remain where it is and be kept open foi traffic, as this bridge is the only mgans of crossing the Rangitata by road, either going north or south I think it is the duty of the Ashburton Council to see that, no matter what it costs, it is kept in thorough repair and perfectly safe foi all kinds of traffic. I hope this accident will have the effect o waking our friends up, and that thej will take some energetic steps ver; soon to have the bridge decking made safe for traffic.” Cr. Flatman said be had beei at the scene of the accident short ly after it had happened. Si: planks had been broken, but luckil; no one was hunt. The ■ trouble wa the wheels could not follow alon, the girders. The Ashburton auth orities had been notified about th bad state of -the planking, but ha. net done the work. ' The nndei standing was perfectly sound, bu the planks were not kept in prope order. If the Ashburton Counc would not keep the bridge in prop.-; order, the Council would have i take steps to obtain from the higl

dr authority, power to act as the controlling authority for the bridge. Planks Were not available, to effect repairs. The spot where the tractor went through was by no means the weakest spot. It was not right that the public should be subjected to the risk of accident. The chairman pointed out that they had had conferences with the Ashburton Council in regard to the bridge, but no steps had been taken to improve matters. Or. Mulvihill said he had sounded Ashburton councillors in regard to the control of the bridge, but they did not take to the idea of the Geraldine Council having control at all. The chairman said Ire had asked the Minister if in the event of the Highways Board building a bridge over the Rangitata, the County Council would be asked to pay part, and the Minister had stated they would certainly have to, unless there were exceptional circumstances. It was decided that the chairman 'and clerk draft a letter to the Ashburton Council .pointing out that if the Council do not take action to keep the bridge in good repair, the Geraldine Council will represent to the Minister that they be constituted the controlling authority..