RAISING HEIGHT OF PROPOSED NEW AVON BRIDGE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17879, 22 June 1926, Page 6

RAISING HEIGHT OF PROPOSED NEW AVON BRIDGE.

CITY COUNCIL AND BOROUGH COUNCIL ARE STILL AT VARIANCE.

No agreement has been reached between the City Council and the New Brighton Borough Council in regard to the proposed new bridge over the Avon at New Brighton. It is estimated that the cost of increasing the height of the new tramway bridge from four feet to six feet above high water mark, will be £3OOO. The City Council at its meeting last night decided to agree to pay its quota of the additional cost if the New Brighton Borough Council would agree to plans for a higher bridge. The New Brighton Council at its meeting last night, however, was not a bit enthusiastic about the idea. Sarcasm at the expense of the City Council was plentiful, and the offer was refused.

At the City Council meeting the Mayor (Mr J. K. Archer) said that he and Councillor E. 11. Andrews, representing the City Council, had met the representatives of the New Brighton Borough Council, and the Ileathcote County Council, that afternoon and had discussed the matter. He asked Councillor Andrews to report on the conference. Councillor Andrews said that they had failed to come to any definite agreement with the New Brighton Borough Council and the Heathcote County Council. The question of the increased cOst that would be incurred if the bridge was heightened was gone into. The engineer of the New Brighton Council estimated that the additional cost would be about £3OOO. The question was whether the City Council was prepared to make any definite offer to the New Brighton Council in the matter. New Brighton had hAd to shoulder a good deal of the cost because the Tramway Board could .‘not legally contribute towards the cost of the bridge. He felt that under the circumstances all fihat the council could possibly do was to offer to find its quota of the added cost of -raising the height of the bridge.. lie moved to that effect. Councillor C. L. Carr seconded the motion. He thought the council should express its regret at New Brighton’s determination to adhere to its original decision. It would only mean trouble in the future. He thought that something should be put on record to show that the City Coiincil was far seeing enough as to what would happen if the bridge was built on the original plan. The motion was carried, Councillor A. M’Kellar dissenting. “ A THUNDERING CHEEK.” Offer Refused. Visions of the Avon as a waterway open to yachts and other pleasure craft from Christchurch to the sea were shattered by the decision of the New Brighton Borough Council last night to have the work in connection with the erection of the New Brighton bridge put in hand as soon as possible, the bridge to be constructed along the lines of the original plans. “ The Heathcote County Council, the Christchurch City Council and the New Brighton Borough Council representatives met and had a long conference this afternoon,” said the Mayor, Mr J. Gamble. “ The position was considered, that is, the position that led to the conference, the raising of the bridge some three feet. The proposal was discussed at great length, and the result of the discussion was that the City Council representatives were asked to face the extra cost involved by the raising of the bridge, and to accept the responsibility of any other expenses that might crop up. “VERY KIND.” “The Mayor, Mr J. K. Archer, said that, while he would not commit the City Council, he would report to-night whether or not they could undertake the financial responsibility, and since we have been here to-night we have received a message that the City Council is prepared to go to 17£ per cent of the additional cost.” Councillor T. Robins: Tliat -is very kind of them. (Laughter.) “ I don't know what they mean by that in view of the friendly nature of the conference,” said Mr Gajpble. “It throws the onus on this council. We must proceed, and the bridge must be built at the height arranged for by our own engineer. No exception was taken to the height of the bridge as far as the present time is concerned. It was only in view *of the possibilities of the far distant future that might or might not have to be faced. I move that the tender for the erection of the bridge be accepted, that the Tramway Board be provided with the necessary information, and that the work be gone on with as soon as possible. ” SURPRISED. “ I am surprised,” declared Councillor J. H. Shaw. “ I don’t -see that there is a great deal of onus on us now. We have done our best. We were prepared to meet the City Council, and now we find to-night that they are prepared to pay only 17£ per cent of the additional cost involved. I think that that rules the matter right out of order.”

Councillor H. A. Glasson: I think that this offer is most trivial, and we could not think of accepting it. It is most ludicrous to think that they should come forward with a proposal to raise the bridge, and then refuse to pay the additional cost. “ I take their offer as a compliment,” said Councillor E. A. M. Leaver. “The engineers and other delegates at the conference this afternoon must have converted them. They apparently see now that the proposal was practically impossible, both from an engineering and a financial standpoint. They must have known that we would not accept the offer they have made us.”

Councillor Glasson: They had a thundering cheek to offer us 171 per cent. The motion was then put to the council and carried.