Some relief to the region’s pothole woes could be in sight, with Central Coast Council set to apply for its share of $50M recently pledged by the State Government to help regional and rural councils fix potholes brought on by recent extreme wet weather.
“Council will be applying for this funding opportunity to assist in the repair of the Central Coast road network, which has seen an inordinate number of potholes occur since February this year,” a spokesperson said.
Administrator Rik Hart told the October 11 meeting of Council that more than 73,000 potholes had been addressed this year, with continued wet weather putting permanent fixes on hold.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said under the new Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair Round, Council would be able to apply for funds to address its highest priority pothole repairs.
“It is hard to drive anywhere on our road network without dodging potholes as a result of the wet weather we have experienced this year,” Crouch said.
“Our government has heard the calls for help loud and clear and fixing the hundreds of potholes caused by recent heavy rains and flooding is a priority.
“This additional support will help ease the pressure local councils are facing and boost the resources they can draw upon to repair their most damaged roads to improve safety and reduce wear and tear on vehicles.”
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Sam Farraway, said NSW has had more than its fair share of natural disasters and extreme weather and that more than 135,000 potholes have been repaired on state roads in regional NSW since February.
“We certainly have plenty more potholes that still require attention, particularly on council-managed roads, which is why our Government is putting more money on the table for councils to repair potholes on the roads regional communities use every day,” Farraway said.
“This funding is available to help every regional council across the state to carry out emergency repairs and would fix roughly more than 420,000 potholes on their roads.”
The new funding builds on the $500M invested by the NSW Government through the Fixing Local Roads program to help regional councils repair, maintain, and seal local roads across the state.
Funding under the Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair Round is available to 95 regional councils and authorities to help repair potholes on regional and local roads, with work to be completed between January 1, 2023, and January 1, 2024.
Terry Collins