Council will apply for a share in the $500 million package designed to support emergency and heavy patching of the pothole damage to roads, with the money expected to be available to councils by the end of the month.
Federation Council Mayor Pat Bourke said the funding announcement was very welcome news.
“We have been under pressure for months to bring our road network up to a drivable state following the extensive flooding experienced across our Local Government Area last year,” he said.
“Given the extent of the damage, funding streams such as this will assist council in our ongoing recovery work.
“We have a long way to go but are thankful for the NSW State Government support through listening to our joint council advocacy work and responding to our urgent call for further funding in a timely manner."
LGNSW President Darriea Turley said councils were grateful for the funding.
“This one-off funding is a great start, but what we desperately need is a significant and ongoing increase in funding for the $1.1 billion Fixing Local Roads and Fixing Country Bridges program, and an ongoing boost to annual Road Block Grant funding,” she said.
“Without an ongoing boost, there is a very real risk that the emergency patches and repairs from this very welcome $500 million will be washed away by future weather events.
“Getting our roads up to scratch and having the ongoing funding to keep them there will not only save NSW and its people money in the long run, it will also help support the economic growth this state needs.
“Good roads are good for us all: for business, for our agricultural sector, and for everyday drivers who just want to get to where they need to be safely and without damage to their vehicles.”
Member for Albury Justin Clancy MP said councils can now apply earlier for their slice of $500 million in NSW Government funding with the program being fast tracked.
“Our priority is to make sure NSW roads are in the best condition possible so tradies and truckies can work and families can make their way home from holidays safely,” Mr Clancy said.
“The announcement of this half-billion-dollar roads program comes as a welcome initiative by the government and I strongly encourage Albury City, Greater Hume, Federation, Snowy Valleys and Murrumbidgee councils to get cracking and get a share of this funding.
“Councils are eligible for a one-off payment to help them fix that have been damaged by successive severe weather events throughout 2022.
“Applications are open from January 11 and the money will start to drop into council bank accounts within weeks to ensure repairs can get underway as soon as possible.
“We’ve fast-tracked this cash injection and made the process simple so councils can focus on important road repairs that will keep communities connected and safe.
“We understand the job regional councils have ahead of them and that’s why we have been helping with financial assistance since early last year and providing engineers, road workers and machinery.
“We have already provided $50 million to regional councils that will allow them to repair over 400,000 potholes on their roads but this funding will go further and see sections of roads regraded and rebuilt in the worst hit parts of the state.”
Councils need to make an application to Transport for NSW, who will allocate the funds based on total kilometres of roads managed in each local government area.
The funding split will provide $280 million for rural and regional councils and $220 million for councils in Greater Sydney and outer metropolitan areas.
This new money is on top of existing funding and assistance to councils including the Regional Roads Block Grant program and NSW Disaster Assistance Arrangements.
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