The NSW Government's contribution of $4,152,833 towards ongoing efforts to restore the flood-ravaged roads network is welcomed by Clarence Valley Council.
The funding is part of a $500 million state-wide Regional and Local Roads Repair Program announced by Premier Dominic Perrottet in 03 January.
It comes on the back of an allocation of $850,000 to Council late last year under the Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair Program, which has already been put to good use on several trouble spots throughout the Valley.
"The Clarence Valley LGA has faced six natural disaster declaration events since August 2019, leaving little time in between to repair damage to road and community infrastructure," Ms Black said.
"The February/March 2022 severe weather and flood event and continued rain through to November 2022 exacerbated damage sustained following the three storm and flood events in the prior 14 months. It is now unaffordable for local government and ratepayers to cover the increased repair cost of the compounded damage to road infrastructure without State and Federal government assistance."
PICTURE: Continued wet weather throughout 2022 has exacerbated damage to the Clarence Valley road network sustained in the February-March 2022 flood event.
Despite continued high rainfalls through to November 2022, Clarence Valley Council's response since the February/March severe weather and flood event has been enormous and well above the normal rate of activity:
- Road inspections have identified more than 2,000 defects
- Expenditure of approximately $15 million to date on defect repair
- More than 20 contractor crews working daily in addition to Council's own internal staff
- More than 35,000 tonnes of flood mud removed from the road corridor equating to approximately 3,000 truckloads.
- More than 300,000m2 of pavement failures identified as eligible for disaster recovery funding
- Approximately 175,000m2 of pavement failures repaired
- 65 landslips identified and currently under investigation for repairs
- Approximately 115,000 tonnes of gravel re-sheet material placed on unsealed roads, compared to the average annual program of approximately 20,000 tonnes.
PICTURE: Clarence Valley Council has ramped up its road program in response to increased damage as a result of six natural disaster events since 2019.
"Our focus has been on betterment and improving the resilience of the network to future events and we have been very proactive in accessing more than $42 million in disaster recovery funds made available since early 2022," Ms Black said.
"We are also taking advantage of the additional funding of approximately $850,000 through the Fixing Local Roads Pothole Grant awarded to us in late 2022 to assist with the ongoing repairs on the road network."
The announcement comes less than two months after Clarence Valley and other councils throughout the state joined Local Government NSW and the Country Mayors Association in declaring a Statewide Road Emergency, which included calls for a significant increase in funding for the Fixing Local Roads program.
Clarence Valley Council Mayor Ian Tiley welcomed the latest funds.
"At Council's November Ordinary Council Meeting, I tabled a Mayoral Minute that was supported unanimously and endorsed the declaration of a Statewide Road Emergency by Local Government NSW, which calls on State and Federal governments to increase their existing road funding commitments in the wake of recent disasters," Mayor Tiley said.
"While Premier Perrottet's announcement is welcomed by Clarence Valley Council, the Statewide Road Emergency remains as local government statewide is faced with billions of dollars damage to road infrastructure.
"The Clarence Valley LGA is over 10,000km² with a road network of approximately 2,500km. With the cost to reconstruct estimated at over $1 million per kilometre, many more millions could be spent on our road network to bring it to a standard considered satisfactory to the community."
