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Think potholes on our roads are getting worse? You're right – and here's why (theconversation.com)
submitted 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) by MHLoppy2@aussie.zone to c/australia@aussie.zone
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[Roads] are getting worse because we’re not spending enough to maintain them.

Three-quarters of our roads are managed by local councils.

Every year, those councils spend A$1 billion less on maintenance than is needed to keep those roads in their current condition – let alone improve them.

New Grattan Institute research finds the typical regional area has a funding shortfall of more 40%. In remote areas, it’s more than 75%.

One reason for this underspend is that untied federal government grants to local councils haven’t kept pace with soaring costs.

[...]

Tight budgets make it tempting to delay maintenance.

But delaying will only end up costing more in the long run, leaving taxpayers paying more to fix more badly damaged roads.

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[-] No1@aussie.zone 5 points 9 months ago

Are potholes actually repairable? Or is it shonky repair work? Because I swear there are some that reappear whenever there is the slightest rain.

What pisses me off more is that when a road is repaved, you can guarantee that some utility or other will be digging it up within 5 minutes, leaving patches and lines criss-crossing it and so uneven that the jarring bumps set off my dashcam collision event recording.

[-] Jackinopolis@sh.itjust.works 3 points 9 months ago

Typically a memorandum goes into place after paving. Cities will send letters out to utilities to do work now before they pave through.

[-] No1@aussie.zone 1 points 9 months ago

And yet, inevitably, a couple of weeks after the roax is laid, someone wi be digging it up...

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this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2023
20 points (95.5% liked)

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