I was pleased to see a report come to the February Council meeting which provided a thorough update to the community on how Council manages the Central Coast’s extensive 2,000km road network and 1,100km drainage network. 

The report (Item 2.9 – Critical road related grants and funding and associated delivery methodology) outlined some of the challenges to roads and drainage management, and the various funding streams available to Council to manage these assets for the community. 

Roads management is without a doubt a ‘hot topic’ for residents, and Council acknowledges the frustration the community has felt about road quality over the last few years. 

The relentless wet weather driven by three consecutive La Nina climate patterns over the last two years put extreme stress on all Councils along the NSW east coast to repair their road networks after widespread damage experienced. This has been no easy feat, but I am confident that the community will continue to see improvements in this area over the medium to long term. Improvement to local roads and securing funding to achieve this is a key priority of Council. 

Council is proactively seeking in the order of $80M in natural disaster funding over the next four years to restore and improve road infrastructure resilience. This funding is in addition to the $60M Council allocates each year through its Capital Works Program to undertake road upgrade, road renewal, drainage, pathways, bridges, wharves, slope stabilisation, traffic facilities and unsealed road improvements. Council also allocates in the order of $30M in operational funding to carry out maintenance of the road network including pothole repairs, clearing drainage and more. 

Given the size of our region and scope of the works, more funding is required for Council to be able to reduce the infrastructure backlog to under 2% within the next four years. 

This is why at the 28 February 2023 Council Meeting I resolved to write to our local State and Federal Members, relevant Ministers and governing bodies to seek a further $12M over four years to improve the local road network and put Council in a position to be able to achieve this target. 

For more information about road or drainage works across the Central Coast, head to www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au/capital-works-program 

Rik Hart, Administrator