Council says potholes on Wilsons Creek Rd will be fixed

Frustration has been expressed by locals at the potholes already appearing in the recent $10.7 million upgrade to Wilsons Creek Road.

‘Within one week of completion it was evident where the potholes were going to emerge. Within a month the road had quite a few potholes in it already. How can so much money be spent on a second-rate road? It is really disappointing for residents of the valley,’ said one local who asked not to be named.

After contacting a range of government bodies including Traffic for NSW (TfNSW) it turns out that Byron Shire Council (BSC) built the road and are responsible for maintaining it.

‘Whenever major work is done on infrastructure, like roads, there is a time afterwards when defects may present themselves,’ a spokesperson for BSC told The Echo.

‘Rectification of defects is factored into the project budget or could be a matter for the contractor.

‘Staff want to assure residents that problems that are presenting will be fixed, however, as most people know, it has rained almost every day for the last five weeks so there has been no opportunity. Some stretches of the road have experienced stripping and will be resealed by the contractor. Where scouring is evident, it has been repaired.

‘As soon as things dry out the contractor, and Council, will be back to rectify problems. Things like potholes are not uncommon, especially for an area like Wilsons Creek where the geotechnical conditions are challenging.

‘Staff have identified some potholes in adjacent sections of the road that were not a part of the project although attempts were made to stabilise them. In other areas rock mattresses were laid to reduce potholes forming but these mattresses need to start and end somewhere and there is still a risk of weak points adjacent to them. These problems will also be rectified.’