WAITOTARA VALLEY ROAD

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 75, Issue 178, 30 July 1932, Page 6

WAITOTARA VALLEY ROAD

y> r , —May I crave space in your paper to air a grievance the settlers of the Waitotara Valley have in regard to the way in which the metalling of the Waitotara Valley Hoad was carried out this year. The first nine miles, which is in the Waitotara County Council, was com pletely metalled and, 1 might add, rolled.

I rom there a section of three ana a half miles was metalled, and a piece of about two and a-half chains left, thus continuing to a little past Puao. I or the next three miles there are only odd patches of old metal to the Pira nui Bridge. This is where the P.W.D. lelief work started, and the road from there is metalled in a continuous stretch to a little past the Makakaho Bridge, some ten miles on the main road, and for some reason two and ahalf miles up a side road. Thc result is that thc small unmetalied part referred to having all the extra traffic carrying stores, etc., to thc P.W.D. ’s men has become tmpass able. Practically every car that tries to get through gets hopelessly stuck and either breaks something or suffers considerable damage and inconvon.ence. With the approach of the dairying season close at hand, the possibility of not being able to send cream out from at least 500 cows faces us and there is nothing being done to remedy this state of affairs.

The P.W.D. men are being moved even higher up the road beyond where. I understand, any of the cream comes from. I have been given to understand that the P.W.D. originally ins tended to start at Puao, where the county were to finish metalling, but owing to some red tape business, namely, that the County Council had surveyed it, made it impossible for them to do so. Owing to this clever piece of work on the part of those supposed to bo qualified for this kind of work we find ourselves with a good metalled road at the top end and. for the last twelve miles to the main road at Waitotara. but an impossible piece in the middle which makes both lengths useless. Why was the lower end not com pletcd which must carrv all the traffic, and two and R-hftlf miles of side road metalled f Trusting that when this comes bo fore the notice of those responsible something will bo done to make it possible to got our cream out at least.—l am, etc., “FARMER.”

The above letter has been referred to the Public Works Department and the following information obtained:— The original metalling proposals for the year 1931-32 on the Waitotara Valley Road provided for the completion of the miles within the Waitotara County and approximately two miles of metalling in Patea County, from f he Waitotara River Bridge at Piranui, northwards, in pursuance of that county’s policy of metalling the worst sections of road without regard to continuity of metalled surfaces. Subsequently, the Government decided to carry out a metalling programme by “relief work” and the Public Works Department took over the work north of the Piranui Bridge, including that for which the Patea County had prepared the necessary plans, and by this means the county was enabled to devote its energies to closing the gaps in thc existing metal between the county boundary and Puao. The result of this arrangement is that there are now nearly 15 miles of continuous metal from Waitotara, as compared with eleven miles under the original proposals. In addition there are, as a result of the Pubic Works Department’s activities, eight miles of continuous metal extending from the Piranui Bridge to the Makakaho Road and over a mile on the last-named road. In 28 miles of road from Waitotara to Makakaho there are now only five unmet ailed gaps, aggregating about 4 miles between Puao ami Piranui, which have been left for the county to metal and these include considerable lengths of sandstone formation which are seldom impassable. The fa<ct that cars and lorries have been using the road to a very considerable extent this winter is evidence of the improvement already effected, since in previous winters the road has been virtually closed to motor traffic.