Harry Graham Drive was closed for four days last week to support an ambitious project that brought together teams from across Council to address drainage issues, repair potholes, maintain vegetation and pick-up illegally dumped rubbish.
Coordinating the works across multiple units meant that Council was able to limit road closure to as short a period of time as possible.
“Harry Graham Drive is a particularly difficult stretch for Council with a number of challenges for us to address including the road’s ongoing stability, accessibility and its functionality as an access road to and from Mt Kembla,” Wollongong City Council Director Infrastructure + Works (Acting) Glenn Whittaker said.
”The best way to take care of important infrastructure like this can be to take preventative action. That’s why from Monday 6 December to Thursday 9 December, a number of Council teams collaborated to work on the road at the same time.
“Some of the improvements we made last week were very timely given the wet weather we’re experiencing this summer. By closing the road, we were able to clear out leaf and silt matter that had built up over time in the drains and were causing water to sheet across the road when it rained.
“Not only is water a safety risk for drivers, it can also weaken the road and cause potholes. This week, our staff worked to repair the road and fix potholes which will be a welcome boon for drivers who use this busy road.
“At the same time, our horticulturalist teams were onsite and used the break in traffic to maintain and clear some of the vegetation. Not only does this help prevent leaf build up in the drains, it’s an important bushfire prevention measure.”
Council’s Waste Team also completed a sweep of the road and surrounding land to pick up illegally dumped rubbish.
“Illegal dumping is a big problem in our community and especially around blind corners and areas near roads which are less visible,” Mr Whittaker said.
“It can be really challenging to access these spaces, such as along Harry Graham Drive, when the road is open to traffic. Through collaboration, we were able to use this opportunity to clean-up and remove illegally dumped rubbish from our environment.”
Harry Graham Drive is now open to traffic.
