Shire flood damage bill could exceed $21 million

The cost of damage to Narrabri Shire Council assets could exceed $21 million following last year’s major flood events.

Council issued a flood damage update late last week and said strategic estimates indicated a potential damage claim could exceed $21 million.

The damage bill includes Maules Creek Road causeway, Bald Hill Road and Clump Road which will likely require complete reconstruction following structural capability assessments.

Council is facing an enormous task of widespread repairs to the extensive shire road network as a result of major flooding along the Namoi River catchment area.

The shire road network stretches some 2343km. Defects have spanned a large portion of shire roads.

Mayor Ron Campbell thanked the community for its patience as council continues to address flood damage during challenging circumstances.

“Narrabri Shire is not immune to the general labour market shortage that’s being seen across the country,” Cr Campbell said.

“We understand the frustrations and concerns of our residents in terms of the pace of works and accordingly, council is investigating a range of control strategies including work packages, specialised consultants, and supply tenders to keep things on track as much as possible,” Cr Campbell said.

Narrabri Shire sustained extensive damage to its road and transport network during flood events which occurred from September to November last year.

Unlike previous flooding events, council has said the damages sustained across the shire were geographically widespread and range from minor gravel loss on unsealed roads to catastrophic failures of large concrete structures.

In line with the NSW government’s Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, council is responding to the damages within the required timeline for emergency works after an extension of time was granted by Transport for NSW.

Council has inspected and logged approximately 1320 damages to road and transport assets.

To date, council has incurred roughly $1.3m in costs associated with the provision of emergency works, with costs continuing to occur as further damage is recognised.

In response to the major flood events, the previous Liberal Nationals government fast-tracked more than $700,000 towards repairs. An additional $2.3 million was allocated towards flood damage to roads.

Leading up to the March state election, the NSW Labor Party announced it would fund $67 million towards roads in Barwon, including $5.3 million for Narrabri Shire.

The funding would be in addition to the Liberal Nationals government’s pothole repair program allocation, Labor said when announcing the program.

Council continues to work on strategies to mitigate resourcing risks, with current capital works alongside flood recovery works, requiring a significant commitment of operational and supervisory staff as well as external resources.

While the Narrabri to Moree section of the Inland Rail project has been finalised, upcoming projects including the Narrabri to Narromine section of Inland Rail, Narrabri to Turrawan line upgrade and Whitehaven developments, it is expected that council will face significant impacts to its operations.

Council is in the process of developing an initial program of works focussing on high traffic haulage routes associated with the upcoming sorghum and cotton harvests throughout the shire.