NRMA uncovers Sydney’s inner west roads backlog

Motorists who lament the state of roads in Sydney’s inner west might have good reason — there are roadworks worth $88.5 million behind schedule.

A woman yelling out of a car window. Picture: Thinkstock

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Motorists who lament the state of roads in Sydney’s inner west might have good reason — there are roadworks worth $88.5 million behind schedule.

The backlog of works at the Inner West Council was second only to Cumberland Council ($93.8 million) in Sydney’s west, according to an NRMA report called Funding Local Roads.

NRMA chairman Tim Trumper said state and federal governments needed to ensure roads were safe and provide more funding.

NRMA director Tim Trumper. Picture: Braden Fastier.

Other inner west councils had considerably lower backlogs.

Burwood’s was $8 million, Canada Bay’s was $2.9 million, while Strathfield reported $1.2 million.

All figures were based on the 2016-17 financial year and obtained from annual reports.

The Inner West Council must maintain 464km of roads across suburbs including Ashfield, Balmain and Tempe.

A motorist drives through a flooded road at St Peters. Picture: John Appleyard

This does not include state roads like Parramatta Rd, which are the government’s responsibility.

A spokeswoman for the Inner West Council said it reviewed the cost of replacing roads, footpaths and bridges after it was formed in 2016.

The council is an amalgamation of the former Ashfield, Marrickville and Leichhardt local government administrations.

Traffic in Frederick St, Ashfield

The review found the actual cost of replacing the infrastructure was $200 million more than previous estimates.

These costs could not be matched by income, according to the spokeswoman, which was largely rates.

“NSW councils are increasingly bearing the brunt of state government ‘cost-shifting’, where the state government forces councils to take responsibility and pay for infrastructure …

without providing enough funding to cover these services,” she said.

She also cited Local Government NSW research which claimed the NSW government shifted more than $18 million in costs on to the three former councils in the 2015/16 financial year.

The council recently gained technology which would provide data about the condition of its roads and the funding required to maintain them, according to the spokeswoman.