Council has capitalised on a break from sustained wet weather to patch potholes, but motorists have demanded a durable solution.
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Junee resident Judy Emberson described Burns Road as a “disaster” and “incredibly dangerous”.
“It’s horrendous, the potholes are huge and everyone’s ducking and weaving,” Ms Emberson said.
“I’ve seen two people stopped on the side of the road replacing their tyres and I’ve spoken to two people from Junee who’ve needed new rims.
“It’s a 100km/h road, but it’s unsafe even at 80km/h.”
Coolamon motorist James Heaslip, who commutes to Wagga for work, is the latest in a long line of drivers to complain about council’s short-lived repairs.
Mr Heaslip said council needed to rethink how they patched up potholes, because temporary repairs weren’t durable enough to withstand traffic nor rain.
“Along Coolamon Road, where they’ve patched up potholes, it’s all crumbling away,” Mr Heaslip said.
“Big chunks of tar, the size of tennis balls, are lying all over the road and it’s only a matter of time until a car flicks the debris into an oncoming car and smashes a window.
“There’s potholes on either side of the bridge at Downside, which council keeps filling in, but the traffic keeps opening them up again.”
Mr Heaslip was mindful the region’s roads had been battered by the wettest ever September, on the back of a record wet winter, but he maintained widespread resurfacing was the only way to ensure safety.
“The way in which council is filling the potholes is not good enough, it is not lasting long enough,” he said.
“Council needs to resurface whole sections of roads, as a more permanent solution that will last.”
Wagga motorist Lesley Wheeler was complimentary of council’s pothole blitz, claiming roadworks on Inglewood Road at Forest Hill carried out this week could be life-saving.
“Council's put signs up to reduce speed limit from 100km/h down to 80km/h and in some parts 60km/h,” Mrs Wheeler said.
“They’ve also filled a lot of potholes on both sides of the road, and while the road is still in really bad condition, it’s no longer insanely dangerous
“But it's a temporary fix, they're going to have pull the road up and fix it properly, because there’s no way it will last.”
A council spokeswoman claimed road crews have been out patching potholes as a priority.