Persistent rain making road maintenance tricky

Published on 10 October 2022

Murray River Council staff are out in force trying to fill potholes and attend to roads due to wet weather damage.

But the persistent rain continues to impact council’s work schedule with both repairs and the planned program of works.

The crews are also undertaking grading where conditions are suitable to do so, however this is severely limited in the current situation.

Council’s Director Infrastructure, Jack Bond said crews are moving through the region as weather permits.

“Our crews are working hard to repair roads across the region, but with the current weather conditions it’s proving difficult to get ahead.”

“In many instances the wet weather has impacted accessibility, which is making some jobs near impossible.”

Mr Bond said council teams are also patching holes on high-use roads, then having to revisit them again due to rain affecting repairs.

“The re-work this generates is challenging for all but a necessary cost to keep the roads safe and usable.”

“We have more than 3,200kms of roads in the region so while we can’t get to every pothole or unsealed road right away, our aim is to attend to the damage and then prepare for the backlog of works when the weather improves.”

“When thing do clear up, our teams will have a heavy focus on maintenance, however it will also take time to catch up.”

“We appreciate everyone’s patience and will get to each spot as best we can,” Mr Bond said.

To assist with roads safety and maintenance, community members are encouraged to limit their travel on unsealed roads where possible.

If residents do need to drive on unsealed roads, take extra care and slow down.

Council is also reminding motorists to keep an eye out for signage, reduce speed, and be prepared to stop if traffic controllers are on a road site.

Anyone needing to report road damage is encouraged to use the Snap Send Solve app.

Alternatively, visit council’s website to lodge a request.