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WORKING HARD TO DELIVER A SAFE AND RELIABLE ROAD NETWORK
Council ’ s commitment to repair our weather-damaged roads remains resolute , as does our promise to keep the community updated on our progress .
Our infrastructure repair teams have made significant progress into what is a huge backlog of damaged roads – some $ 177 million worth of roads directly damaged by floodwaters and landslides , as well as deteriorated roads from the incessant wet conditions between 2020 and 2022 .
Everyone at Council – including myself – is aware that road repair and maintenance is by far the number one issue for residents . Not only was this made clear in the customer satisfaction survey conducted late last year , I receive this feedback daily from ratepayers on the streets and on social media . A popular misconception is that Council is doing nothing to repair roads , or that we simply don ’ t care . This couldn ’ t be further from the truth . Between 2018 and 2023 , our annual roads maintenance expenditure increased by 129 % from $ 4.759 million to $ 10.917 million . Already up to January in this financial year we have spent $ 10.055 million and there are still five months to go .
So where is this money being spent ? The Hawkesbury local government area is huge and geographically diverse . We have 1063km of roads – 20 per cent of which were significantly damaged by floods . Many of these roads are in regions and communities far away from the urban centres around Windsor and Richmond where many of you live and work each day . For these regional residents , their roads are often the only way in or out ; they ’ re also often higher speed roads in more difficult terrain which increases risks to motorists .
Another misconception is that Council should cease all other works and focus on the roads instead . This would not deliver road repairs faster , and would only be detrimental to local sporting teams , families , and local wildlife that rely on us to fix and upgrade sporting fields , playgrounds , footpaths and our open spaces – indispensable parts of the fabric that makes the Hawkesbury a great place to live . Another consideration is that a significant amount of this money was provided through government funding programs to deliver a specific project and can ’ t be redirected to roads .
We know that there are many roads which require repair works and until these can be funded , our crews are out and about every day of the week inspecting them and undertaking maintenance within the budget and resources available to them .
Our Renewing Hawkesbury ’ s Roads hub on Council ’ s website is the source of truth for our road repairs program . It is updated daily with road maintenance projects , and weekly for road repairs . It also includes an interactive map . If you haven ’ t already , I encourage you to explore it and to check back regularly for updates . If you see a roads issue that isn ’ t on our list , please report it at https :// www . hawkesbury . nsw . gov . au /_ resources / forms / roads-reportingform . Mentioning it on Facebook doesn ’ t mean we will see it – even if you tag Council .
I thank everyone for their continued patience as we continue to work hard to deliver a safe and reliable road network .
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16 ISSUE 166 // MARCH 2024 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT