NRMA survey highlights multimillion-dollar pothole backlog in Riverina

While regional Victorian roads have long been the source of motorist frustration, the roadwork bill north of the Murray is also growing. See the details.

Cross-border concern is growing over the state of regional Australian roads with new figures showing the Riverina has a road repair backlog of more than $250 million.

A NSW-specific assessment of road funding by the National Roads and Motorists Association found $255.9 million needed to be spent on Riverina roads and highways to bring them up to an acceptable standard.

The NRMA survey found the Northern Rivers had the highest road shortfall price tag at more than $594m, following a series of floods, while the Hunter region had a road funding backlog of more than $346m.

NSW Farmers’ Wagga region branch chairman David Meiklejohn said the state of the roads in rural areas were a disgrace, with the transport of food from farm to fork becoming increasingly difficult.

“You only have to drive out the farm gate and you’re faced with everything from dangerous potholes that can ruin your tyres to whole sections of road crumbled into oblivion,” Mr Meiklejohn said.

“Floods have left many roads near impassable in the north, while down south, a similar neglect to repair our roads has meant we’re battling to get fodder on farm and truck livestock off – making this drought even harder than it already is.
“If you’re planning on driving anywhere in rural NSW, my message to you is simple: buckle up, and be ready for the roads to be a mess.”

The Northern Rivers region is NSW’s worst hit for poor road conditions, according to a new NRMA survey.

Former Federation Shire mayor Pat Bourke of Urana in southern NSW said there was currently a significant amount of road work underway in the region.

“Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it – we’ve been able to carry out some repairs thanks to the flooding back in 2022,” Mr Bourke said.

At the time, areas such as Corowa, Mulwala and Howlong were hit hard. “While we didn’t have major flooding in Urana, Lake Urana filled and overflowed, which caused damage to our roads,” he said.

Pat Bourke. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Mr Bourke said the current dry conditions provided a good opportunity for repair works to be carried out.

“This might be an ideal time to do the repairs, but without funding, you can’t act,” he said. “It’s dry now, but there’s no doubt it was the wetter years that caused significant damage to our roads.”

“Once water gets under the road surface, it weakens the base, and when traffic moves over it, that layer breaks down.”

South of the Murray, RACV policy chief James Williams said the Victorian motorists association consistently called on the on the federal and Victorian government to invest in regional road maintenance and upgrades.

He said while the RACV welcomed the state government’s announcement of $964m in road funding, the motorist group “looked forward to more details on the specific works which will be prioritised.”

“Over 7000 respondents to RACV’s 2024 My Country Road survey said that potholes and poor road condition are the biggest safety issue on regional roads across the state, with improving road surfaces a top priority,” Mr Williams said.

“An overwhelming 64 per cent of survey participants identified potholes as the primary safety issue; up from 46 per cent in 2021.”