HAMILTON TO FRANKTON.

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15998, 29 May 1924, Page 7

HAMILTON TO FRANKTON.

CONCRETE OR BITUMEN?

MATTER FURTHER DISCUSSED

The present state and the possible future construction of Commerce Street, Frankton, were referred to by Cr. P. H. Watts at last night's meeting of the Hamilton Council. The surface, he said, had been stripped off the greater portion of the thoroughfare, rendering it impassable, and the question now arose as to what material the road was going to be put down in. He personally strongly recommended concrete, and suggested that the Council should immediately go forward with a further section of the street in concrete, from Kent Street to Lake Road. The staff of men employed on bitumen work could not be kept al their ordinary work for some time, as it would be desperately expensive to try and carry on with the bitumious penetration work during the winter. He moved in the direction he had indicated.

The Mayor. Mr J. R. Fow, said that if they decided on concrete that night it would not relieve the immediate situation very much. He was strongly of opinion that when Norton Road was reached, where there were alternative routes, bitumen would quite answer the purpose. Commerce Street itself might, of course, be regarded as an area upon which concrete was specially desirable. He had talked with experts, who, however, said concreting was quite an experiment and thai unless a solid foundation was put down a concrete road was likely lo break up. Cr. J. Denz strongly supported the concreting proposal, and foreshadowed that Ihe traffic over Ihe main route from Frankton lo Hamilton would continue to grow very rapidly. Al present Commerce Street was closed an'd traffic was diverted along other thoroughfares, which gave the shopkeepers in Commerce Street a distinct, grievance.

Cr. A. E. Webb also supported the proposal. Cr. J. Gilbert pointed out that they had no estimate of what the work was going to cost, and if would be reverting to the bad old policy if they adopted Cr. Watts' proposal that night. He thought 'he engineer should lie asked to prepare an estimate for the Works Committee on Monday night and the Council could deal with the. proposal next Wednesday. Cr. J. McKinnon considered the road should continue from where the concrete, at present, terminated, at a. width of 26ft in concrete for Ihe whole, way to Victoria Street. Hamilton. Cr. Watts said that the concrete already laid at, Frankton, exclusive of excavation, cost, 10s per square yard. This compared very favourably with, for instance, that laid on the Great. South Road, Auckland, which cost 13s per square yard. As to the width of the proposed construction, the speaker pointed out that,as far as Lake Road the street was a busy business thoroughfare, witli shops on each side and vehicles pulled up a good deal on hnfh sides of the, road. lb- therefore thought that this part .of the mad should be concreted to the full width. The rnattpr was referred to the Works Committee on the Mayor's casting votr.