Regional councils will soon start receiving funds for urgent pothole repairs, under the New South Wales Government’s $50 million Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair Round.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Sam Farraway, said all 94 regional councils that applied for funding have been approved for grants.
“From December, councils across regional NSW will receive their share of $50 million to repair pothole-ravaged local and regional roads,” he said.
“That’s money going straight into the bank accounts of councils like MidCoast, Tamworth and Dubbo to help them cover the extra costs and workload pressures following this year’s unprecedented rain and storms.
“These grants are a rapid injection of cash to help councils get on with the job of repairing potholes to get us through the wet summer ahead.”
According to Farraway, this additional support will help councils to repair their most damaged roads, thus improving safety and reducing wear and tear on vehicles.
“The NSW Government is backing our councils with this dedicated pothole repair funding which is the first of its kind in NSW,” he said.
“This is on top of the ongoing investment in a stronger road network through Fixing Local Roads, Fixing Country Roads and Fixing Country Bridges.”
MidCoast Council Mayor, Claire Pontin, welcomed the funding after the region had experienced several floods and severe weather conditions this year.
“We have more than 3600 kilometres of local and regional roads to manage across the MidCoast Council area that have been badly damaged,” she said.
“Every dollar counts towards ensuring they are repaired as quickly as possible.”