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Roads and bridges within the Shire comprise an extensive network of transport infrastructure that spreads across state highways, regional and local roads. Council both maintains and plans upgrades to the road and bridge network across the Warrumbungle Shire.
The Road Operations team undertakes regular inspections to monitor road condition to program maintenance works. On sealed roads, maintenance involves patching of potholes, remarking of faded line marking and resurfacing of roads. On unsealed (gravel) roads, maintenance entails gravel resheeting, grading and pothole patching.
Road Operations are committed to agreed service levels for maintaining road condition, which are reviewed annually as part of the budget preparation process and detailed in the Warrumbungle Shire Council Operational Plan and Delivery Program 2022/2023.
Council currently aims for at least 90% of the road network to be maintained to an average condition, and is based on effective asset management principals. Roads comprise the majority of Council’s assets, as detailed in the Warrumbungle Shire Council Asset Management Plan - Roads.
Click here to view the appendices from the Asset Management Plan - Roads.
Local Roads
There are over 2,200km of local roads under Council’s road maintenance program, funded largely by Council. As part of the maintenance program, all local roads are categorised into one of three groups based on condition rating. Groupings are based on a range of characteristics, including water drainage, road material, school bus routes and traffic flow.
The Warrumbungle Shire Council Local Road Maps are a guide to understanding which category grouping a local road belongs to.
Funding for the Local Roads Maintenance Program is derived largely from Council rates revenue, together with grant funding from the Federal Assistance Grants and Roads to Recovery programs.
The road maintenance grading schedule is influenced by a combination of the road category grouping, condition monitoring and weather. The recent extended dry seasons experienced in the region have delayed planned maintenance works schedules. Category One roads are generally scheduled for maintenance at a higher frequency than Category Two or Three.
The regularity of planned maintenance to provide average road conditions as outlined in the Operational Plan and Delivery Program 2016/17 – 2019/20 follows:
Category One - once every 15 months
Category Two - once every three years
Category Three - once every five years
The frequency of road grading may be delayed by weather conditions and budget constraints.
There are also roads that are not categorised, such as roads through National Parks and State Forest, and are not maintained by Council’s road maintenance program.
Road maintenance is scheduled based on safety concerns, condition ratings and the timing of future programmed works.
Please contact Council by phone, email or letter, or complete our online Customer Request Form. You can also view our Customer Service Charter as a guide to understanding how we will respond to your request.
Roads are added to the road maintenance program after consideration by Council and review of budget.
Our Road Operations team reviews the maintenance schedule weekly, and the proposed grading maintenance schedule for unsealed roads is reported at each monthly Council meeting.
* Please note that the repair of flood damaged roads will take priority over the grading maintenance program as determined by Council.
The following roads have had segments where grading maintenance for flood damage repairs has been completed for the 2023/2024 period:
Banoon Road, Beni Road, Blue Springs Road, Bolton Creek Road, Bong Bong Road, Boogadah Road, Brooks Road, Burma Road, Cliffdale Road, Coybil Road, Gamble Creek Road, Gundare Road, Kilaree Road, Kurrajong Road (South), Leaders Road, Lewis Road, Locknaw Road, McEvoys Road, McGuinnes Road, Melrose Road, Merotherie Road, Merryula Road, Mountainside Road, Mt Bangalore Road, Munns Road, Myall Plains Road, Napier Lane, Narangarie Road, Oban Road, Orana Road, Patrick Road, Railway Road, Round Mountain Road, Rowbotham Road, Sansons Lane, Scully Road, Tabletop Road, Town Well Road and Yarrow Road.
Regional Roads
Council also maintains the Castlereagh Highway, Newell Highway and Golden Highway for the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS). This includes road maintenance, construction projects and incident response work. State Roads are fully funded by the state government.
There are 57 bridges across the shire, and Council has to date replaced twelve aging timber bridges with new concrete structures. Funding for the replacement of bridges is sourced from state and federal government funding programs in partnership with Council funds.
Council is continuing to construct new bridges to replace aging infrastructure, and providing a network that improves road safety for all road users.
Last Updated: 14 Feb 2024