Wollondilly’s flood ravaged road network of almost 900 kilometres is finally about to receive substantial repair funding.
The shire council is set to get a slice of the $500 million the NSW has allocated toward road repairs across the state.
“This announcement is a huge win for our residents,’’ says Wollondilly Mayor Matt Gould.
“I have worked closely with other councils as well as Member for Wollondilly Nathaniel Smith to ensure the NSW Government was aware of the critical road issues that we are facing in the shire,’’ he said.
The shire was declared a natural disaster area with extreme weather events in February 2020, March 2021, February 2022, March 2022 and July 2022.
Wollondilly Council has been labouring since to repair approximately $140m in significant damage to roads in the face of ongoing wet weather, and the shortage of qualified contractors and road repair materials.
“Road repairs remain our top priority, however we are in dire need of additional resources to enable our team to provide safer roads for our community after the damage it has sustained over the last 12 months,’’ Mayor Gould said.
“I look forward to receiving the funds so that we can target the critical works as quickly as possible.”
The new half a billion-dollar funding will help councils fix landslips, potholes and other damage to roads.
Funding will not be allocated according to the severity of flood damage experienced by local councils.
Instead, the amount each area receives will be determined by the total length of roads the council manages.
Wollondilly’s massive road network is in a peri-urban setting, with sealed and unsealed roads connecting a multitude of smaller towns and villages.
The program of works currently being undertaken in response to recent storm damage will be able to be extended (subject to final funding allocation) to help improve the condition of roads within the shire.
This will include targeted reconstruction/heavy patching and full reconstruction works.
