Geoff Helisma |
Clarence Valley Council (CVC) will discuss and make decisions about some of the valley’s worst roads at next week’s March 26 council meeting.
Councillors will be advised that staff have accepted a $516,465 ‘Safer Roads Program’ funding offer from Roads and Maritime Services (RMS).
“Council was required to provide a response to the funding offer by 16 March 2019,” the report to council will state. “As the project was fully funded, requiring no [CVC] contribution, council staff accepted the grant.”
The grant is specifically for “Orara Way near School Lane – road upgrading”, and works are “to be completed in the 2019/20financial year”.
Councillors will also discuss how to fund a sealing program for Clarence Way.
A 547-signature petition from Rod Watters about “the dreadful state of Clarence Way” was tabled at CVC’s February meeting.
As a result, councillors unanimously decided to receive “a report on the issues outlined, together with other supporting letters” at next week’s meeting.
Staff will recommend “prioritising a sealing program for Clarence Way based on the recommendations of the Road Safety Audit assessment” due to be completed by the end of March. Councillors commissioned the audit at the October 2018 CVC meeting.
Further, staff will recommend the “preparation of designs and costings for the first two [of 10] road segments”, which equates to 4.21 kilometres of 24.85 kilometres of unsealed road.
“There is 14.01 km of unsealed road between Copmanhurst and Baryulgil and 10.84 km of unsealed road between Baryulgil and [CVC’s LGA] boundary,” the report to council will state.
Staff will also recommend “submitting funding applications for the sealing of Clarence Way, either in its entirety or by individual segments, to all eligible funding programs as they become available”.
Or as the petitioners put it: “Let’s finally ‘seal’ this council disgrace … which represents an ongoing safety, health and environmental hazard and roadblock to further economic development.”
Meanwhile, the mayor, Jim Simmons, wrote to relevant state and federal ministers and the local members on February 19, seeking “assistance by providing funding for necessary road upgrades to the Clarence Way between Grafton and Tabulam”.
The letters pointed out that Clarence Way is a “main transport artery … and tourist route providing the major road connection to a large number of primary producers, who live and work in the Clarence Valley”.
“…Many tourists … use this road to explore the Clarence River and its tributaries [and it] connects neighbouring shires and the greater area,” the mayor wrote.
“In addition to the tourism and farming activities, importantly the Clarence Way also provides a vital link to the Aboriginal communities of Baryulgil, Malabugilmah, Tabulam and surrounding areas.”
Meanwhile, councillors will also consider staff recommendations, regarding a review of CVC’s roads maintenance policy, at next week’s meeting.
Forty-six submissions were made during the policy’s exhibition, which closed on February 1.
Staff will recommend reviewing the policy annually, to allow for variations as a result of council resolutions.
Staff will also recommend investigating the development of an ‘Unsealed Road Dust Sealing Policy’.