Maintenance grading program delayed

Published on 23 March 2020

Motorists and residents are reminded to drive to prevailing conditions as maintenance grading of unsealed roads continues to be disrupted in some parts of the MidCoast region.

Summer has been a challenging period for MidCoast motorists, with bushfires, drought, and more recently flooding causing issues across the region’s road network. For rural residents and those travelling on gravel roads, disruptions to regular maintenance grading are set to continue as MidCoast Council crews address a growing maintenance backlog.

“Rainfall events during February and March have hampered and delayed our grading program, leaving a significant proportion of the region’s 1,790km of unsealed roads in the backlog”, explained Rob Scott, MidCoast Council’s Director of Infrastructure and Engineering Services.

“We’re working hard to resume regular maintenance grading, but right now the key message for people using these roads is to always consider the road’s condition, watch for changing conditions, slow down, and travel with care”.

While water is an essential component in the grading process, heavy and prolonged rain events have a detrimental impact on the performance of gravel roads.

“Following extreme weather events as we’ve recently experienced, road maintenance and repairs are prioritised based on risk, which often means roads carrying higher volumes of traffic are addressed first. In the current situation, some of our maintenance grading patrols have been diverted to assist in managing priority maintenance projects”.

Safety remains a priority on local roads and in areas where grading remains suspended Council crews will continue to inspect roads for safety and performance. To assist in this process local motorists are encouraged to report hazards using the Report and Request form on Council’s website, and to travel with caution.

For more information about roadworks taking place across the region, visit www.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/roads