Road repairs ramped up across Port Stephens

In response to the continuing wet weather, Council has increased pothole patching crews across Port Stephens.

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While road network improvements remain the priority for Council and the community, Mayor Leah Anderson said that recent heavy rainfall has forced a temporary shift towards critical pothole patching and driver safety.

“After a month or more of rain, potholes are worsening across many parts of Port Stephens and with more wet weather on the way, we’ve prioritised pothole patching and are sending out more crews,” Mayor Anderson said.

“Potholes can develop at any time due to normal wear and tear or underlying road surface faults, but rainfall is often the main culprit.

“When it rains, water seeps into small cracks in the road surface, weakening the layers underneath.  

“Over time, this leads to the potholes we see on the road surface, and with more rain and passing vehicles, the damange gets worse and the pothole even bigger.

Mayor Anderson addressed the common question asked by residents regarding why Council doesn’t provide a permanent pothole fix. 

“Patching potholes is a temporary fix to get our roads safe right now. A permanent fix means rebuilding a bigger patch of the road, which often requires additional work like new drainage and, in some cases, new foundations,” Mayor Anderson said.

“It’s a big job, that takes time and costs a lot of money. When it’s consistently raining, our main concern is to get those potholes sorted quickly so everyone is safe. 

“We know it’s not a forever fix, but it’s the most practical solution that we can do right now, right away,” Mayor Anderson added.

“This week we have had our crews actively working on pothole repairs, prioritising our busiest, high speed roads first. This will continue over the weekend and through next week.

“We would love to be able to fix every pothole as soon as we can, but with more than 800kms of road across Port Stephens, it’s a huge task,” Mayor Anderson said. 

Port Stephens Council recently announced its Roads Acceleration Program (RAP) – a 3 year commitment to invest over $20 million into road repairs and rehabilitation. The program is funded by annual budgets, the Special Rate Variation and State and Federal grants.

Mayor Anderson said “even with this record funding, we know we still need to do more. Council is working hard to drive savings and source new funding streams to deliver more road improvements across Port Stephens.

“My fellow Councillors and I are committed to improving the Port Stephens road network. We will continue to explore all opportunities to increase this investment even further.

“At the moment though, potholes are our focus. So if you see a pothole or road damage let Council know by using our Report, Request and Apply tool on Council’s website,” Mayor Anderson concluded.

You can find the latest road closure and service closure information by visiting livetraffic.com and downloading emergency warning apps like Hazards Near Me, Bureau of Meteorology and Emergency Plus. 

Potholes and road damage can be reported by the community via pscouncil.info/report-a-pothole.

For more information about Council’s road maintenance program, visit pscouncil.info/road-maintenance.