Port Stephens Council is set to soon receive more than $250,000 for urgent pothole repairs under the NSW Government's $50 million Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair program.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Taylor Martin said more than $1.38 million is going straight into the bank accounts of four Lower Hunter councils to help them cover the extra costs and workload pressures following this year's unprecedented rain and storms.
"These grants are a rapid injection of cash to help councils get on with the job of repairing potholes to get us through the wet summer ahead," Mr Martin said.
"This is on top of the ongoing investment in a stronger road network through Fixing Local Roads, Fixing Country Roads and Fixing Country Bridges."
Of the four Lower Hunter councils, Lake Macquarie will receive the most, $496,155.47, followed by Cessnock City Council, $374,650.04, Maitland City Council, $258,718, and Port Stephens, $251,105.84.
"Every dollar from state government helps," John Maretich, Port Stephens Council's Assets Section Manager, said.
"This is an issue faced by many local councils that are trying to tackle with limited funds and resources."
Asked whether more funds were needed to tackle the potholes plaguing the Port's roads, Mr Maretich said "yes".
"Port Stephens Council will continue to apply for funding to help repair our roads," he said.
"We're very aware of the community's frustration and our priority is fixing our roads, however, our current budget doesn't cover the amount needed to fix the ongoing issue.
"This Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair funding will be going straight into patching road defects to improve road user safety."
In a regular month, the council's teams repair more than 5000 potholes across the LGA.
"If we have ongoing wet weather, this number will increase," Mr Maretich said.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway said all 94 regional councils across the state that applied for funding had been approved for grants.
"From December, councils across regional NSW will receive their share of $50 million to repair pothole-ravaged local and regional roads," he said.
"This additional support will help councils to repair their most damaged roads, improving safety and reducing wear and tear on vehicles."
The NSW road network is more than 180,000 kilometres long, with local councils currently responsible for maintaining well in excess 85 per cent of it, including regional and local roads.
Thank you to The Examiner journalist, Ellie-Marie Watts, for this article originally published here.
