Lloyd Road residents have been dealt another blow after Wagga City Council requested a budget boost of almost $400,000 to complete roadworks that are more than eight months behind schedule.
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Stage one of the $1.5 million rehabilitation works of Lloyd Road started in January last year, but came to a sudden halt after a resident aired concerns about the road's design increasing the flooding potential at their property.
After investigating the resident's concerns, staff will now ask councillors to increase the project's budget to $1.9 million to cover the additional works, as well as land acquisition.
Lloyd Road resident Craig Keyes reached out to The Daily Advertiser last July after residents were left in the dark about the unfinished roadworks that were suddenly abandoned four months prior.
The council's general manager Peter Thompson personally met with residents to tell them the project will move forward within a week.
Since then, Mr Keyes said the road had been temporarily sealed, but it was "disgraceful".
"For all intents and purposes it looks alright, but one coat of covering was just to appease us," he said.
However, Councillor Paul Funnell said this error should have been picked up much sooner, not by a resident during construction.
"There is someone asleep at the wheel in this organisation," he said.
Cr Funnell said the request for an additional $370,000 follows a similar request approved at the last council meeting where the Farrer Road upgrade budget was increased.
He said the council pays "phenomenal money for poor skill sets" and it needs to change in a hurry.
"I am calling them out, I am saying get it right before you go to the design phase because this is two out of two, Farrer Road last month, Lloyd Road this month," he said.
"[These roads are] years behind and years overdue and both similar overruns."
In a report to council, the operations manager said that of the current $1.5 million budget, only $74,260 has been spent as of February 11.
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The additional funds will cover the widening and deepening of the table drain on both sides of Lloyd Road, additional culverts across Plumpton Road and Mallee Road, formed bunding to better direct stormwater flow.
It also looks at an open drainage channel from Plumpton Road to Stringybark Creek across private property, which requires the acquisition of land.
The report outlined that the latter will make up a large sum of the additional funds, with the land acquisition coming to $70,000 and the construction of the new channel $93,600.
Wagga councillors will decide on Monday night whether to increase the budget for the rehabilitation of Lloyd Road.