Country Road Works

21 July 1863 The Sydney Morning Herald

Contracts have been made for all the works on the main roads for which funds are available from this year's votes, excepting at the following localities:-

On the Southern Road, between Yass and Gundagai, and at Stuckey's Flats and Tarcutta Hill, on the Northern Road, at the Sugar loaf division, and on the Western Road, in the vicinity of Molong, and at Bathurst. Contracts will be invited for all these works before the end of the month.

The execution of the works contracted for has been much impeded by the late rains, but advantage is now being taken of the fine weather to get them completed.

The expenditure of the votes for 1863 having been arranged for, preparations are being initiated for the expenditure for 1864 and contracts for the maintenance of the metalled roads during that year are under consideration, and, should other arrangements permit, they will be let in terms to admit of the contractors taking charge on the 1st of January.

Contracts for construction will also, as for as possible, be arranged so as to allow the works for 1864 being in an advanced state before the setting in of the winter.

Hitherto contracts have not been let in time to allow them to be finished before the wet season, and their completion has been protracted into the succeeding year. The mode of tendering and giving security is also being revised; and some changes in and additions to the number of toll gates are under consideration.

Tenders have been called for iron bridges at Gundagai, Deniliquin and Moama, they are all of the same design -Warren and Kennard's girder.

That at Gundagai is to consist of three spans of a hundred feet each, on iron cylinder piers, the others are in eighty feet spans, on screw pile piers.

To decrease the cost of carriage the introduction of a stronger material than ordinary wrought iron is under consideration, by which the weight of such bridges could be much reduced.

The necessary borings and detailed survey for the bridge at Cowra have been completed, and tenders will be invited in a week or ten days.

The boring rods are being sent on to Wellington and Dubbo, to make a preliminary survey at Wellington, and a working survey for a bridge at Dubbo.

At the end of June there were 1576 men and 27 superintendents, overseers, and gangers employed by the Roads Branch of the Public Works' Department. ........