Huge program of road rehabilitation underway

Road rehabilitation works on Eight Mile Lane and Wooli Road (pictured right) have begun, kickstarting Clarence Valley Council’s two-year Natural Disaster Repair Works Program.

The works southeast of Grafton form part of the $13.2 million Regional Roads Rehabilitation contract awarded to Stabilcorp Pty Ltd at the Council meeting on 27 June. The contract also includes extensive flood damage repairs on Clarence Way, Lawrence Road, Iluka Road and Yamba Road, all due to be completed this financial year.

Eight Mile Lane.JPG

PICTURE: Natural disaster repair works have started on flood-damaged sections of Eight Mile Lane at Sandy Crossing.

The project forms part of the Natural Disaster Repair Works Program – with a strategic estimate of $92.2 million – to be funded by the Federal and State government’s Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) Essential Public Asset Reconstruction (EPAR) program, pending Transport for NSW approvals.

The first-year total of $68.2 million accounts for the largest component of the unprecedented $210million 2023/2024 Capital Works program being undertaken by Council.

Eight Mile Lane defect locations.JPG

PICTURED: The defect locations on Eight Mile Lane approved by Transport for NSW to be rehabilitated under DRFA funding.

“Combined with an additional Council-funded program to repair other sections not covered by the DRFA funding, the Regional Roads Rehabilitation project will result in more than 93,000 square metres of rehabilitated pavement,” Civil Services Manager Devin Simpson said.

“The rehabilitation includes stabilisation of the road surface, and will add 20 years of design life to the roads.”

Wooli Road defect locations.JPG

PICTURED: The defect locations defects on Wooli Road approved by Transport for NSW to be rehabilitated under DRFA funding.

Meanwhile, Local Roads Sealed Pavement Works have also commenced. This program is being co-funded by the DRFA, Federal Roads to Recovery, NSW Regional Roads Transport Repair Program, and Clarence Valley Council.

“Around $35 million will be spent on a combination of full rehabilitation and heavy patching of more than 60 flood-damaged local roads throughout the Clarence Valley, covering a pavement area of 220,000 square metres,” Mr Simpson said.

“Crews are already on the ground in the Grafton and Maclean areas, with Yamba to follow in the coming weeks, and extensive work on the way in the Ulmarra and Ewingar areas.

“In total, over the next two years about 300 kilometres – or more than 30 per cent of Council’s sealed road network – will either be rehabilitated or resealed. Due to the available government resources that have increasedour potential output and ability to hire additional work crews, we are aiming to deliver about 16 years of works, under a typical program, in a two-year period.”

/Public Release. View in full here.