Number of potholes has tripled since May

The number of potholes on the Central Coast has tripled since May this year, due to persistent heavy rains.

Councillor Jared Wright said crews were working hard to keep up with repairs and urged residents to continue reporting potholes as they came across them.

“We have more than 2,250km of road to maintain, so while it is never easy, Council is certainly working hard to fill as many potholes as possible as efficiently as possible and I do acknowledge the importance of having them fixed right the first time,” Wright said.

“Since mid-May, the number of potholes across the Central Coast has tripled due to all the recent wet weather.

“Our crews have logged over 14,000 hours inspecting and repairing potholes and I want to assure the community that the Council is working hard.

“Council has staff out on the road each day working across all functions of the organisation, but we cannot always see everything.

“It takes less than 30 seconds to (report a pothole) via Council’s website and it does get lodged for repair.

“Staff have been working extended hours to reduce the backlog and this will continue over the next few weeks.

“I have always been firm in my view that roads must be a top funding area and I will continue to advocate on this in years to come.

“Last financial year, councillors voted unanimously to put the entirety of a surplus funds allocation into roads, outlining that we understand this priority and heightened need for investment in our roads.”

Wright said Council had also engaged contractors to assist with additional repairs.

“We are accelerating the delivery of over $1.8M on heavy patch works, for longer lasting fixes.

“I just worked with the community on one in Hardys Bay.”