01-12-2022
The following report of Upper Lachlan Shire Council construction and maintenance works in progress was submitted for the 17 November 2022 Ordinary Meeting of Council. Some of these works have been completed or rescheduled since then.
Grabine Road Reconstruction (Growing Local Economies Program)
Construction works completed on the seal extension component of Grabine Road. Funding bodies have been requested to extend the deadline to enable construction of box culverts at Sandy Creek and allow additional causeway upgrades. This work has been delayed due to extended wet weather that has not enabled this element of the works to be commenced. A time extension was approved until 31 March 2023.
Laggan Road MR248E Rehabilitation (Regional Roads Repair Program)
Works under the grant funding has been completed and is currently in finalisation stage. Council to carry out final seal and line marking in November 2022.
Goulburn Road (MR54) – RMCC (State Road Funding)
Reseal of Segment 53 (Sooley Creek) has been referred to warranty and repair provisions under the contract (Downer EDI) together with some urban streets. Rectification works to be carried out in late November 2022.
Completed Speed Zone alterations – Glenfield Road to Tuena and Abercrombie River.
Completed two pullover areas north of Tuena for Heavy Vehicles.
Heavy Patching to commence mid-November 2022.
Peelwood Road Reconstruction (Heavy Vehicle Safety and Production Program)
A further length of Peelwood Road commenced construction in October 2022. Major drainage works have taken place. The works will progress northwards from the end of existing seal towards Peelwood. Grant funding completion is due by 1 December 2022. A project extension along with additional funds have been applied due to weather conditions, to complete this project.
Wheeo Road Reconstruction (Heavy Vehicle Safety and Production Program)
Construction has commenced on a further length of Wheeo Road in October 2022. The works will progress westwards from the end of existing seal towards Wheeo. Grant funding completion is due by 1 December 2022. Project extension might be required due to the ongoing wet weather, which is to be confirmed as the project progresses.
Wombeyan Caves Road MR258
This project has been postponed until February 2023 to allow construction of the Wombeyan Caves Tourism Project being carried out by National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). Council carried out temporary safety measures funded by NPWS and cleaning of the existing culverts which falls under the slope stability works. Federal funding agreement has been extended until 31 December 2023. Council is currently seeking approval for a time extension until 31 December 2023 from the State Government portion of the grant. Letter of Award for the Slope Stability Works is to be sent out in January 2023 following completion of the Wombeyan Caves Tourism Project and obtaining confirmation from the preferred tenderer on consequence of delay on its tender submission.
Collector Road (Fixing Local Roads Program)
A 3km extension of the bitumen sealed length of Collector Road, chainage 5km to 8km from Gunning is now complete, including line marking. The project was completed under budget with approximately $350k underspent. TfNSW have approved a proposal to use the remaining funds undertaking additional heavy patching on the sealed section damaged by heavy vehicle movements.
Gurrundah Road (Friars Hill) Upgrade (Roads to Recovery Program)
The upgrade works on Friars Hill has commenced which involves improving the road alignment, additional culverts, culverts extensions, select lengths of road widening and bitumen seal. Due to weather conditions and unforeseen problems with subsurface failures on the construction site, the completion date for this work has been pushed back to November 2022. Pavement failures have been repaired but due to recent flood damage events the construction crew had to be diverted to rehabilitating the damage on other roads. Work has recommenced on final road base layer in mid-October 2022 in preparation for sealing.
Tablelands Way (MR 256 – Taralga Rd)
Council has received grant funding from the NSW State Government to upgrade four sections of Tablelands Way (also called Taralga Road or MR256) north of Taralga.
These sections have been numbered in order of priority. Section 1 (the highest priority), is the replacement of an underperforming culvert/causeway arrangement over Burra Burra Creek with a single span bridge. Sections 2-4 are road upgrades with several curve realignments, widening, and furnishing.
Detail design works on the Tablelands Way Sections are complete other than the gabion retaining walls. Council is in discussion with the designer to undertake the design works for the gabion walls. Construction tenders are to be advertised early 2023.
Detailed design of the Bridge over Burra Burra Creek at Curraweela Section is complete. Construction tenders are expected to be advertised latest December 2022. Council is currently in discussion with adjacent land owners on land acquisitions and concerns raised during the design stage.
Timber Bridge Replacements
Bridge components for Cooksvale Road, Peelwood Bridge and Burra Burra Creek, Blue Hill Road have been delivered. Delivery of bridge components for Crookwell River, Julong Road is scheduled for first week of November 2022.
Construction has commenced at Cooksvale Road, Peelwood bridge and construction works are planned to commence in late October at Burra Burra Creek, Blue Hill Road.
Current anticipated completion date for all the bridges is March 2023.
Robertson Lane Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation Works have been completed in Robertson Lane in late September 2022.
North Crookwell Stormwater
Stormwater upgrade works continue in North Crookwell. Wet weather has caused delays to the contractor. Drainage works in Gordon Park, regrading and reshaping existing swale drains and the forming and laying of concrete drains within the park and in Soudan Street and Wolseley Road are complete other than the final clean-up of works. Reshaping of road edge drainage at the intersection of Gordon Road and Soudan Road is also complete.
Review of the design for North Street has been completed to ensure all properties are served and stormwater surface flows can be controlled. Works have now commenced and anticipated to be complete by end of November 2022.
Resealing Program (Roads to Recovery Program)
Council received $4.3M in grant funding to be spent over the 2021/22 and 2022/23 financial years. Reseals and reseal preparation works including heavy patching will be undertaken on Bigga Road, Roslyn Road and Cullerin Road to complete the program this financial year.
Rectification works on stripping seals around Crookwell is planned for late November.
Gravel Road Resheeting Program (LRCI)
Council’s gravel resheeting program for the financial year comprises of $500k to be spent on Redground Road, Redground Heights Road, Pejar Road, Glenerin Road, Blakney Creek Road and Rugby Road. An additional $625,000 was carried over from last financial year on Mulgowrie and Middle Arm Road which is funded from Fixing Local Roads Round 3.
Pedestrian School Zone Safety Program
Stage 1 (Raised pedestrian crossings) – Letter of award has been sent out to the successful contractor. Works to commence in mid-November 2022 and completion of works is projected for mid February 2023.
Stage 2 (Line Marking and Signage) – Line Marking and Signage contracts are to be awarded in early November 2022. The project is on track to be completed by the end of December 2022.
Flood Warning Systems
The scope of works include the upgrade of rain gauges to automated systems in Crookwell, Taralga, Collector & Gunning and installation of a new water level gauge at Gunning. The automated rain gauges and water level gauge will include alert facilities to SES and Council.
Options study and design works are in the final stages. The project is on schedule to be completed by December 2022.
Natural Disaster Restoration Works Program
Council continues to suffer considerable damage to the road network as a result of wet weather events. Council was recently declared again under AGRN 1034, resulting in 10 Disaster Declarations since February 2020. With more wet weather predicted under the La Niña it could be a while before Council crews are back to undertaking routine maintenance. While crews are continually attending to unsealed roads, rehabilitation of large pavement failures of sealed sections is also urgently required. Council has engaged contractors to both manage and undertake the storm damage restoration under the various declarations.
Council recently applied for the Fixing Local Roads Pothole Repair Round (PPR) that was released for applications in late October. The PPR is a new $50 million round under Fixing Local Roads that will provide funding to Local Government to supplement existing funding and assist councils in addressing priority repairs and ongoing maintenance of potholes on their local and regional road network. Should Council be successful this will alleviate some of the financial burden of trying to bring all our roads, sealed and unsealed, back up to a manageable condition following damage caused by the ongoing wet weather.
Routine Maintenance – Works in Progress/Completed Recently
Council is struggling to maintain pace with the road deterioration across our entire road network due to the prolonged and persistent wet weather and the increased damage this is causing to our roads, both sealed and unsealed. To be able to maintain the roads is also dependent on the ability to work on the roads which is significantly reduced by the number of wet days throughout the past 18 months. Council will continue to prioritize road maintenance based on bus routes, road hierarchy, road damage and road usage. This will result in some roads being maintained as a higher priority and to a higher standard, while others will fall into lower priority category and maintained to a lower standard until the situation returns to normal. The unfortunate situation resulted in Council being behind on its scheduled maintenance grading requirements as some roads are requiring additional maintenance.
The current unsealed road maintenance grading and repair program is as follows.
Grading completed
- Bannister Lane
- Ladevale Road
- MR241 – Rye Park Road (Patch Grade)
- Lerida Road South (Patch Grade)
- Sheldricks Lane (Flood Damage)
- Elms Road (Flood Damage)
- Bevendale Road (Flood Damage)
- Collector Road (Flood Damage)
- Pomeroy Road (Flood Damage)
- Fullerton Road
- Millsvale Road
- Golspie Road
- Anderson Road
- Old Binda Road
In Progress/Upcoming
- Berrebangalo Road (Flood Damage)
- Iron Mine Road (Flood Damage)
- Rock Lodge Road (Flood Damage)
- Felled Timber Road (Flood Damage)
- Maryvale Road
- Bevendale Road
- Prices Lane
- Rhyanna Road
- Pejar Road
- Woodhouselee Road