DETERIORATION OF ROAD SURFACES IN NORTHERN PORTION OF RANGITIKEI

Wanganui Chronicle, 6 May 1949, Page 6

DETERIORATION OF ROAD SURFACES IN NORTHERN PORTION OF RANGITIKEI

MARTON. Last Night (SR). —Road surfaces generally had deteriorated during April and continued wet weather was keeping the surfaces full of pot holes and every sloppy, where graded recently, reported the overseer for the northern portion of the Rangitikci County, Mr. R. H. Lewis, at the council’s monthly meeting in Marton today. A fairly intensive metalling and grading programme was necessary to bring about an improvement. Obtaining metal from the Mataroa dump was practically at a standstill because all railway wagons available were taking metal to Hihitahi, where other work was being undertaken. Maintenance grading of roads had been limited to one tractor grader only, Mr. Lewis added. In the Te Kapua Riding, the contractor for the new Pukeroa Bridge had been troubled with floods on several occasions, but had completed approximately 10 feet of the pier at the Hunterville end. Because of continued wet weather, and the state of the road to the pit at the Whangaehu River (Ruanui Riding), it was not considered advisable to obtain metal from there, Mr. Lewis stated. The overseer for the southern portion of the county, Mr. G. Campbell, reported that in the Rangitoto Riding little progress, due to wet weather, had been made with the patching and reconstruction of the Marton-Curls Bridge Highway. Metalling of the Lower Wangaehu Valley Road (Otakapu Riding) was proceeding in a very satisfactory way as a steady supply of metal was being received from a pit in the district. Because of wet weather, the carting of shell rock to the River Road (Wangaehu Riding) had been delayed, but most of the other work on this road had been completed and a big improvement noted, Mr. Campbell added. Arrangements were in hand for widening the Putorino Road (Rangitira Riding).