With more wet weather forecast ahead , Mayor of The Hills Shire , Dr Peter Gangemi is urging residents to drive to conditions and be mindful of potholes which form during lengthy periods of rain .

“ Requests to Council for potholes and road patching works has increased by 116 per cent over the last four months as a consequence of the weather we ’ ve been experiencing ,” he said .

“ This is consistent across Sydney , with other councils seeing more potholes across their road networks ,” he added .

Potholes form when water infiltrates the asphalt . Asphalt is first laid as a stable and durable surface , but over time cracks form due to stresses caused by traffic and fluctuating surface temperatures ( heating to cooling ). Water can seep into these cracks and displace the road ’ s pavement layers , causing further cracking . Eventually , pieces of the road will break , creating a pothole .

Meanwhile , Sydney has received more rainfall in 2022 than any year on record .

The latest deluge pushed Sydney ’ s annual precipitation past

its previous record set in 1950 to more than 2.2 metres .

With just over two months left in 2022 , the Bureau of Meteorology ( BOM ) has predicted more rain across the weekend thanks to a third consecutive La Nina - an ocean-atmosphere event that leads to above average rainfall .

Mayor Gangemi said Council crews and contractors are working diligently to respond to these requests as per Council ’ s policy and road maintenance procedures . However , the unrelenting rain is increasing the number of potholes on local roads .

“ Our teams are responding to requests and carrying out repairs ,” Mayor Gangemi said .

“ Yet the constant rain , competing in a tight labour market for road contractors and the uptake in road repair requests has exacerbated this problem across Greater Sydney and NSW .

“ I ’ m encouraging residents to use their best judgement , remain vigilant and to also take care on our roads , especially during heavy periods of rain ,” Mayor Gangemi added .

Council uses a number of industry standard methods to fix potholes , including hot and cold mix asphalt , as well as road patching .

As the name implies , hot mix asphalt requires heating before installation . It ’ s a high-grade asphalt that is used for its strength , flexibility and its ability to repel water . Hot mix asphalt can only be laid during favourable weather conditions .

Cold mix asphalt is used mainly for repairs and can be used during wet conditions . This type of asphalt is used as a temporary measure , especially during poor weather as it lasts just a short period of time . This type of work is usually carried out in emergency circumstances and allows residents and visitors to continue using local roads .

Some roads which generate multiple or frequent potholes often undergo more substantial repairs that can only take place under dry conditions . This work is called a ‘ road patch ’ and requires a section of the road being cut out and replaced entirely with multiple layers of new asphalt . Locations requiring substantial patches are added to Council ’ s annual asphalt road patching program which is delivered in order of priority .

Residents can contact Council ’ s Customer Service Team on 9843 0555 or notify Council online via the ‘ Report it to Council ’ tab to report a pothole , fallen tree or any other

Council related enquiry at www . thehills . nsw . gov . au .

They can also find further information on Council ’ s delivery , maintenance and infrastructure rollout in The Hills Shire Plan 2022-2023 .