Published On
26/07/2023A large percentage of Council’s operating budget is invested in roads, drainage, pathways and related infrastructure each year, but with extensive networks to manage and maintain, we can’t fund it alone.
Council continues to advocate and secure grant funding from the Australian (Federal) and New South Wales (State) Governments to assist in the management and improvements of our vast networks.
Council has been successful in securing grant funding under several Australian and New South Wales grant funding programs which is seeing extensive road repair and renewal works undertaken along with road and drainage upgrades, pathway projects, natural disaster remediation, public transport facilities, and safety improvements over the coming years.
Additionally, Council utilises developer contribution funding to help fund road and drainage works. Developer contributions are payments made to Council by developers when new development occurs, to assist in the costs of providing new or improved infrastructure to cater for an increased population and growth of an area.
Council is committed to working with all stakeholders, including the Australian and New South Wales Governments, to pursue grant funding opportunities that assist Council in the management and efficient delivery of infrastructure. These funding opportunities allow Council to deliver renewal and remediation works along with new infrastructure that supports the Central Coast community and we thank the Australian and New South Wales Governments for their investment in our region.
Road delivery plan for 2023-24
Maintaining a road network of over 2,000km is a big job and important to our community – which is why Council invests a high percentage of Council’s operational and capital works budget to maintaining and managing the life cycle of roads across the region.
We have another significant year ahead for roads and drainage projects with projects spanning across the Central Coast. These projects cover full road upgrades including kerb and guttering, road renewals, footpaths and shared pathways, bus stops, bridge works, wharves, drainage installations, and unsealed road improvements.
Some highlights include:
• Avoca Beach, Avoca Dr - extension of existing drainage works through overflow carpark
• Berkeley Vale, Lakedge Ave – road and drainage upgrade (progressive upgrade)
• East Gosford, Lushington St - road and drainage upgrade (stage 2)
• Ettalong Beach, Bourke Rd (Memorial Ave to Barrenjoey Rd) – road renewal
• Hamlyn Terrace, Warnervale Rd – road and drainage upgrade
• Jilliby, Hue Hue Rd (Champions Way to Jilliby Rd) - road renewal
• The Entrance, Oakland Ave (Coral St to Bent St) and Manning Rd – road renewal
In addition to works funded under the capital works program, we undertake work each week to maintain the life cycle of our road network across the region. These can include treatments such as pothole filling and heavy patching. Keep up to date with weekly works in progress on our Facebook page or web news page.
For more information, view our interactive capital works map or refer to Council’s annual operational plan.
We answer your recent road questions
How are road repair works prioritised?
Road repairs are prioritised by level of risk and traffic volumes, with higher traffic roads generally requiring attention first.
For workflow and cost efficiencies, repair work may be undertaken on several roads in the same suburb around a priority site.
Scheduling of road repairs requires a flexible approach as new issues can be identified or reported at any time, and weather can impact which works are able to be carried out – which is why plans are adjusted each week.
View our regular road work updates on our news page, or follow us on social media (Facebook).
Why does Council keep filling potholes on the same road instead of doing longer term repairs?
In short, we do both over the life cycle of a road and to manage the network in an economic and sustainable way.
Basic pothole filing is the first level of maintenance to keep the road safe for the public. Where potholes consistently reoccur or the road deteriorates further, a more substantial and longer lasting heavy patch repair is considered - based on what has been done to date, the risk profile and what renewal work is planned for that section of the road.
Our annual road renewal program consists of various treatments that complete the cycle - from lower cost resurfacing to higher cost road rehabilitation and reconstruction.
What’s the difference between road upgrades versus road renewals?
Upgrades improve an existing asset by adding new infrastructure such as construction of street drainage, kerb and gutter, and pathways where they previously did not exist.
Renewal works are activities undertaken to bring an asset in poor condition back to its original condition or prolong the asset’s life. Treatments are triggered at different stages of the road’s lifecycle to ensure the cost effectiveness of the treatment and to minimise ongoing maintenance expenditure. Treatments can include rehabilitation and pavement resurfacing, however, do not provide infrastructure such as kerb and gutter where it did not exist.
With limited funding, Council is focussed on renewing our existing road assets before considering the construction of new assets which require substantial funding.
Need to report an issue?
Please report potholes or specific road maintenance or safety concerns to Council, through our online Customer Service Centre or by calling 4306 7900 during business hours. We’ll then investigate and respond.