Rodney Stevens

A survey of more than 5,500km of the region’s roads will be used in the long-term rebuilding of Northern Rivers, road and transport infrastructure.

The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation and Transport for NSW are working with the Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Richmond Valley, Lismore, Ballina, Byron Bay and Tweed councils to conduct a whole of network road condition assessment, across all sealed roads in the seven local government areas.

One of the biggest road surveys ever undertaken in NSW, the project aims to ensure our roads can better withstand future floods.

The Australian Road Research Board is undertaking the assessment, which will take until the end of 2022 to complete.

An analysis of the scope of work needed to be done will be provided by specialised road scanning trucks, including an Intelligent Pavement Assessment Vehicle and a Network Survey Vehicle.  

If you encounter these trucks on the road, please be patient as the work they are doing will result in better roads for everyone.

Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation chief executive David Witherdin, said more than 5,500 kilometres of road surface will be tested to measure roughness, texture and rutting, and to gather digital imagery for visual rating and automated crack detection.

“This assessment informs how we’re going to prioritise more than $4.9 billion in infrastructure work, including a pipeline of more than $1.7 billion to address road and transport infrastructure rebuilding across the region,” he said.