Rural roads in national spotlight following floods

INCREASED funding and improved construction standards for country roads are needed to reduce impacts of future flooding events, regional councils say.

Regional Councils Victoria (RCV) raised the issues in a submission to Federal Parliament’s inquiry into the implications of severe weather events on the national regional, rural, and remote road network.

An ongoing review of road engineering and construction standards, greater federal funding for local roads and the use of waterproof products in road materials are among the measures suggested in RCV’s submission.

It has also called for a review of the Commonwealth’s role in road resilience planning to ensure infrastructure can be built back to higher, climate-change-resistant standards, and creation of a proactive mitigation assessment fund.

RCV recommended detailed, localised flood mapping for each council area, that funding is provided for the construction of new and expansion of existing culverts, and projects to clear weeds and other obstructions in flood channels to ensure that flood waters are not allowed to damage roads.

“Our submission calls for what is in effect major but entirely practical and logical reforms to federal roads funding for rural, regional and remote areas,” RCV chair and Southern Grampians Shire councillor Mary-Ann Brown said.

“The recent floods have demonstrated that rural, regional and remote communities are resilient but also extremely vulnerable. The Commonwealth – along with local and state government – has a vital role to play in minimising the impacts of natural disasters on rural communities.

“Let’s build back better and these are some practical suggestions to achieve that and so we don’t have to keep rebuilding the same infrastructure into the future.”

RCV represents 34 rural councils across the state including the Borough of Queenscliffe.

The City of Greater Geelong and Surf Coast Shire Council aren’t part of RCV – but Geelong requested Canberra match a $165-million state contribution for road repair from floods in its federal budget submission earlier this year.

COGG and the Shire were among Victorian municipalities that suspended road maintenance programs for several months after last year’s floods due the volume of service requests it received for repairs.