Long-awaited Riverina roads program in full swing

Wagga Wagga City Council has begun a desperately needed and long-awaited roads program.

There will be scheduled roadworks across the Wagga LGA over the next few months on Mundowy Lane, Old Narrandera Road, Inglewood Road, Copland Street, Lloyd Road, Nagle Street, Watson Boulevard, Bourke Street, and Macleay Street.

Council’s Director Infrastructure Services Warren Faulkner, said with the end of wet weather, and heat to dry the roads, the council had commenced the roads program this week.

“We started on Mundowy Lane and we’ll open it by Monday,” Mr Faulkner said.

“From there the guys are relocating to Old Narrandera Road between Pine Gully Road and Olympic Highway to undertake the long-awaited repair of that road surface.

“It’s not the actual start of the upgrade works; it’s to repair, to remove the patch on patchwork quilt [of pothole repair] … that are there to provide a better road surface until the major roadworks commences.”

Mr Faulkner said the major roadworks were expected to start midyear.

The director of infrastructure services said the roadworks on Macleay Street were meant to start this week, but council contractors had had equipment failure.

“The work needs to be done over the school holidays with the high school and TAFE on either side of it (Macleay Street),” Mr Faulkner said.

“At this stage, work will probably go to the April school holidays.”

Mr Faulkner said the work on Old Narrandera Road was expected to be finished by next week.

“The road will be closed to enable that to happen as quickly as it can … there will be diversion by Estella Road down Boorooma Street.

“We’ve asked residents to be aware and plan for road closures, expect delays and plan the journey.”

Mr Faulkner added the council had ordered a contract for the lights for the intersection of Pine Gully and Old Narrandera Road, which was expected by March.

He said the council would be making applications for the additional road funding repairs from the Government’s recent announcement of $500 million.

“We are back on deck, all ready to go”, he said.

Wagga City Council secured $800,000 from the $50 million funding for potholes.

Mr Faulkner said the council had a year to spend the money and was in the process of engaging a contractor.

He said the pothole funding would be used to fix the roads properly.

“It’s not just a throw-and-go type exercise to get around them. We’re using the opportunity to do them properly,” Mr Faulkner said.

“We will record the costs and do a report back to the council in 12 months’ time to what we spent and did.

“We will report to the Government on how it’s currently done to see what the efficiency gains and effectiveness are.”

Mr Faulkner said it cost the council around $5 million to fix roughly five kilometres of road and added that he appreciated the Government recognised the condition of the roads was not just a local problem but an eastern seaboard problem.