NSW Government announces $220m road-repair funding for metropolitan councils

The state government has revealed NSW’s metropolitan areas will share a kitty of $220m to repair their roads. See what your council received with our interactive map.

The NSW Government has announced the allocation for Metropolitan councils for road repairs. Picture: John Appleyard

Councils across metropolitan NSW will share in a $220 million kitty to repair damaged and pothole-ridden roads, the state government has announced.

A total of 35 councils across metropolitan NSW will share in the funds, with the allocation for each based on the proportion of roads they manage. It comes after funding allocations were revealed for rural and regional councils in January.

The $220 million is part of the state government’s $500 million Regional and Local Road Repair Program, and is in addition to $25 million made available last year for flood-affected councils

Among the allocations, Blacktown City Council was set to receive about $16.5 million, with Wollongong City Council, $11.2 million, and the Hills Shire Council, $11.1 million, other areas with the largest allocations.

NSW Roads Minister Natalie Ward said the funding was on the back of dialogue with councils.

Pothole, Corner Princes Hwy and Brooklyn St, Tempe. Picture: John Appleyard

“We have listened to the call from councils for help to deal with the backlog of road damage caused by repeated weather events over the last 12 months,” Ms Ward said.

“Through this funding, councils can act now on urgent road and pothole repairs, as well as protect against recurring challenges through the use of technology, such as cold mix.

“These works are in addition to the work our crews carry out on state roads, with more than 22,500 potholes repaired and more than one million.”

Roads Minister Natalie Ward. Picture: Simon Bullard.

$220 MILLION ROAD-FUNDING MAP

Deputy mayor of the City of Canada Bay, which are set to receive about $2.3 million, and Liberal candidate for Drummoyne Stephanie Di Pasqua welcomed the move.

“There are a number of local roads that have been badly impacted by the torrential rains, which is having a serious impact on people’s ability to safely get to work, to school and home, and doing a lot of damage to their cars,” she said.

“This funding will deliver immediate benefits for motorists across this electorate with safer and more reliable journeys.”

A Blacktown Council spokeswoman said while they appreciated the funding – the LGA received the most in the latest tranche – there was concerns over how far it would go.

“Council appreciates funding support from the NSW Government to fix extensive road damage caused by severe flooding, storm damage and persistent wet weather events in 2022 and 2023,” she said.

“Due to the extent of road damage across the LGA, council is yet to determine the full cost of repairs and has concerns that the cost of these repairs will far outweigh the funding support we have received.”

The spokeswoman said Blacktown Council has three maintenance crews whose job is to circulate throughout the LGA fixing potholes.

Pothole, Rockdale Street, Rockdale. Picture: John Appleyard

“Existing ‘rural’ and ‘minor’ roads are taking significant levels of construction and heavy-vehicle traffic, causing significant road damage – the development of these local and rural roads into major roads (the responsibility of the NSW Government) has not kept pace with the residential development,” she said.

The mayor of the Hawkesbury City Council, however, said it welcomed the almost $11.5 million in funding after the LGA’s roads were battered by flooding and wet weather.

“Sydney and the Hawkesbury have been suffering from the worst potholes in living memory, and it is local motorists that have borne the burden,” councillor Sarah McMahon said.

“A simple drive to school or the shops shouldn’t be an exercise in pothole dodging or require a trip to the mechanic to repair a tyre or suspension.

“The challenges all our councils face in tackling the pothole problem are threefold – financing, the availability of road repair contractors, and the availability of road repair materials. This funding goes a long way to solving the financial part of the pothole equation.”

A spokesman for the Inner West Council, who are set to receive $5 million, said: “we have been repairing roads damaged by the unseasonal rain earlier in the year and will continue to do so with this money”.

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