VPRS 4552 Index to Correspondence from Road Engineers

The Central Road Board (VA 2803) was established circa March 1853 with responsibility for the formation, construction, improvement, management and maintenance of proclaimed main roads and bridges and for the co-ordination of the works undertaken by the District Road Boards. The primary officers were the Secretary, Treasurer and an Inspector-General of Roads. The Central Road Board was abolished on 1 January 1858 and succeeded by the Department of Roads and Bridges (VA 2964) which operated under the statutory control of the Board of Land and Works (VA 744).Road Engineers were located in provincial centres and responsible for the execution of contracts, supervision of contractors, and the forwarding of payments, specifications, estimates and plans. This series provides an index to the correspondence received at the Central Road Board, probably at the office of the Inspector-General of Roads, from the Engineers located in the field. Double folios were allocated to each Engineer and headed with his name and location. Listed below, in consecutive numerical order, the date and subject of each piece of correspondence received.The actual inwards correspondence of the Central Road Board does not appear to have survived. However, the original texts of some of this correspondence may be found in a number of series made up of the Outwards Letter Books of the Road Engineer at a variety of locations. Replies may be found in VPRS Outward Letter Books, Inspector-Generals Branch or in VPRS 1125 Outwards Correspondence with Road Engineers, Inspector-Generals Branch.

中央道路委员会（Central Road Board，VA 2803）约于1853年3月设立，负责经公告的主要道路与桥梁的规划、建设、改良、管理及维护，并统筹各区域道路委员会的工程作业。其核心管理人员包括秘书、财务主管及道路监察总长（Inspector-General of Roads）。1858年1月1日，中央道路委员会被撤销，由道路与桥梁部（Department of Roads and Bridges，VA 2964）接替，该部门受土地与工程委员会（Board of Land and Works，VA 744）的法定管辖。道路工程师驻派各省级中心，负责合同履约、承包商监管，以及款项拨付、技术规格、预算估算与工程图纸的呈报流转。本系列档案为中央道路委员会（办公地点大概率设于道路监察总长办公室）所收野外驻地工程师往来信函编制索引，为每位工程师分配双开卷宗，并以其姓名与驻地作为卷宗表头。下文按连续数字顺序逐一列出所收每封信函的日期与主题。中央道路委员会的内部收函档案似乎未能留存至今，但部分此类信函的原文可在多组档案系列中找到——这些档案由各地道路工程师的外发信函簿汇编而成。相关回复可查阅VPRS外发信函簿（监察总长分支），或VPRS 1125系列中与道路工程师往来的外发通信（监察总长分支）。