By ALENA HIGGINS
A DAMNING new report on local roads has revealed that councils cannot afford to bring crucial infrastructure up to scratch.
Commissioned by the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA), the 2014 National State of the Local Road Assets Report found on average 11 per cent of local roads needed upgrading while one in five bridges were in a poor state of repair.
ALGA president Troy Pickard said the report confirms councils are facing an ongoing struggle to maintain local roads and bridges to an acceptable standard for their communities.
“Councils, both urban and rural, are facing a similar challenge – how to ensure local road infrastructure is maintained in an acceptable condition within significant financial constraints,” he said.
“These findings show that councils do not have the financial resources to bring all of their road infrastructure up to a reasonable condition.”
The report builds on the findings of work undertaken by ALGA since 2010 to track the condition of local road infrastructure and includes data from 70 per cent of all councils across Australia.
While not listed as a contributing council to the report, Southern Downs Regional Council (SDRC) also suffers from funding woes.
SDRC director engineering services Peter See said while the Commonwealth Government kicks in through Roads to Recovery, the council has to fund the majority of its ongoing rehabilitation/replacement program through rates.
“If councils reduce spending on rehabilitation and replacement it creates an even larger backlog as the condition of the assets deteriorate over time,” he said.
“Underfunding rehabilitation/replacement may not create an immediate problem, however if it is continued over long periods of time the assets become run down.
“A massive problem can be created where the council cannot fund even the urgent replacements/repairs because so many of the roads/ bridges are in urgent need of repair.”
He said SDRC had almost completed another periodic condition assessment of its 3100 kilometre road network with data currently being reviewed and assessed in readiness for analysis in the new year.
The ALGA is calling for strong financial and policy support from the Commonwealth and state and territory governments to make the necessary investments in the local roads network.
