Graders are back working at full capacity after wet weather in June interrupted Horsham Rural City Council’s rural road maintenance program.
Horsham Airport had 87.2 mm in the gauge last month, the wettest June since recording started in 1998.
But dryer conditions this week has allowed all of HRCC’s graders to get to work maintaining the municipality’s 1,830 kilometres of unsealed roads.
Mayor Robyn Gulline said multiple roads were being graded in Taylors Lake, Green Lake, Laharum, Brimpaen, Dooen and Quantong areas across this week and next.
“Our road grading schedule is a very important part of our overall Road Management Plan and it’s frustrating to have it delayed by weather conditions,” Cr Gulline said.
“We understand the importance of having local roads graded and the frustration these delays cause residents.
“The good news is that, for now, it’s dry enough for our crews to out every day completing maintenance grading to ensure roads are safely passable while smoothing out some of the potholes and corrugations, especially coming in to what we hope to be a busy harvest season.
“We appreciate the patience of local residents and encourage them to report any urgent road hazards by calling Council or submitting an online service request,” she said.
Meanwhile Council is using government funding to complete flood recovery works on roads specifically damaged in the 2022 Spring Flood.
“Using external funding will benefit our municipality in the long run, but it also means we can’t rush out and complete repair work as quickly as we’d all like,” Cr Gulline said.
“We ask the community for patience as we go through the strict process required by the Federal Government’s funding arrangements. Following previous disasters we know this will ensure we can get the best results for our community,” she said.
Council has allocated $6.8 million to roads in its 2023-24 Budget, with more than $5.5 million assigned for rural roads.
REPORT AN ISSUE
Council encourages residents to report any repairs needed to our roads. To request repairs to a HRCC-managed road, visit hrcc.vic.gov.au/service-request.
