A comprehensive inspection report of Shoalhaven's roads has revealed the condition of the region's 1,906 km of roads and the scale of cost to renew the network.
Council engaged specialist consultants to measure the condition of the road, using techniques such as vehicle-based laser measurements to assess the condition of the road surface and the pavement below.
The report supports a recommendation from the independent review of Council's financial position which identified the need for more reliable assessments of critical assets - such as roads, buildings and stormwater drains - to better predict, prioritise and plan for renewal programs.
Acting Director Kevin Norwood said the data compiled over the past six months represents a massive improvement in Council's ability to identify and target road renewals that will get the most out of limited funds to improve the resilience and performance of our road network.
"This is the most comprehensive examination of our roads Council has ever undertaken, giving us millimetre-accurate data of the condition of our network," Mr Norwood said.
"While the data reveals that many of our roads are in need of urgent repair, benchmarking also shows that our road conditions are not dissimilar to other councils across NSW," he said.
"Funding the replacement and renewal of these roads can now be factored into long term planning and budget considerations for the future."
The data collected indicates that 133km (7%) of the Shoalhaven's 1,900km road network have very poor underlying pavement conditions which are compromising the overall health of the road. This represents a ballpark cost of $133 million to reconstruct those roads up to a satisfactory standard.
A further five percent of roads are in a poor condition and require reconstruction before deteriorating further, at an estimated cost of $95 million, along with approximately 570km of roads that need the surface replaced at an estimated cost of $54.1 million.
Almost 70% of the surface of the roads is considered to be in good condition, with 50% in very good to good condition, while 88% of the pavement below the surface is in good condition, with 66% in very good to good condition.
The data shows that the areas of disrepair are equally distributed across Council Wards, with no one area displaying better quality roads than another.
Data collected and used to inform the condition report included:
- road materials
- kerb conditions
- surface conditions
- defects such as cracking, potholes, corrugations and rutting (grooves)
- traffic volumes
- speed limits
- urban vs rural areas
- heavy vehicle rates
Resident feedback undertaken in November showed that road maintenance was the community's top priority. The rates increase of 12 per cent from 1 July 2025 will provide an additional $6 million toward road maintenance and renewal for the next financial year.
The condition report will now be analysed to cost and prioritise road works, plan and advocate for funding.
The focus for condition assessments will now shift to other critical infrastructure such as footpaths, bridges, and stormwater drains.
