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Government funding shortfall on the road to nowhere

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Labor is calling on the NSW Government to fund the road maintenance backlog following revelations of an $805 million regional and outer metropolitan subsidy shortfall.

Internal documents reveal the state’s thoroughfares are falling apart – with the list growing exponentially each day.

About 2,000 kilometres, or 11.7% of NSW roads, have been rated as “poor” or “very poor”.

It means the 2056 target of zero road fatalities is at serious risk of not being met due to the funding deficits, which prevent adequate maintenance and upgrades.

Maitland state MP and Shadow Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchison said it was time for the government to step up and fix the problem.

“In regional communities, people depend on the road and bridge networks to survive, yet under the Nationals we have seen more than 3/4 of the roads in our regions have been ignored,” she stated.

“When regional roads fail, communities are cut off from health, education and work opportunities and, in an emergency, lives are lost.

“The government has failed to deliver on its 2019 promises to reclassify roads – and they aren’t even looking after the roads under their current responsibilities.”

While major highways are typically designed for a 40-year pavement life, minor road pavements generally have a 20-year design life.

Transport for NSW’s Regional and Outer Metropolitan Asset and Service Plan 2021-2022 to 2030-2031 highlights more than 77% of road pavements in regional and outer metropolitan NSW have exceeded the typical minimum pavement design life of two decades.

On top of that, 35% are older than 40 years.

The Asset and Service Plan goes on to say: “One of the greatest challenges is the sustainable replacement of road pavements that have reached the end of their useful life. The current rate of pavement renewal is well below the long-term sustainable target. The average age of pavements is increasing.”

“The government’s transport woes don’t stop at light rail, ferries and trains – the roads are at breaking point as well,” Shadow Minister for Roads John Graham said.

“More than three quarters of them are beyond their minimum lifespan.

“These internal transport documents blow the whistle on this systematic neglect.

“Billions of dollars have flowed into gold-plated toll roads, while our local roads are potholed, broken and underfunded.

“The government’s $60 million increase in the maintenance budget is a drop in the ocean compared to the hundreds of millions of dollars required.”

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