Locals using Spooners Avenue have voiced their concerns about the condition of the roadway and surrounds after months of wet weather.
Kempsey Shire Council understands the concerns and will be carrying out maintenance grading on the unsealed section of Spooners Avenue and Collombatti Road areas throughout the next week.
In addition, Council has an extra maintenance crew working as well as the two permanent crews working on the shire's unsealed roads. Some teams are also working Saturdays to overcome the backlog and all maintenance work is still subject to weather.
Council prioritises road repairs across Kempsey Shire based on:
- traffic volume
- regional or local significance
- speed limit
- bus routes
- proximity to schools and places of public interest
- pedestrian activity.
Each year, Council repairs thousands of potholes across the shire's 1,250 kilometre road network - that's almost as far as driving from Kempsey to Melbourne. The challenge our crews face is that rain falls on much of the shire at the same time. With the combined impact of the ongoing wet weather and two significant flood events last year and this year, there are road repair needs across the entire shire. Council isn't equipped to send a team out to all of our 1,250 kilometres of roads all at once. Unfortunately, it's not always possible to repair potholes as soon as they are reported to Council.
The cost of sealing a road from scratch is in the realm of $1 million per kilometre of road. At the April 2021 meeting Council determined to pursue grant funding to expedite works and upgrade the gravel section of Spooners Avenue. This work is considered a priority but requires Government funding to proceed.
You can find out more about road repairs here: Roads
