Kempsey Shire Council voted in favour of sealing the remaining 6.2km stretch of Point Plomer Rd, if their application for a NSW Government grant is approved.
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Council resolved to continue the current maintenance schedule, accept the grant if offered, or alternatively, continue to seek other grant opportunities.
Regardless of the funding decision, a works program will be prepared that would see council fund the road being fully sealed in coming years.
The decision was made on the basis of safety improvements and cost savings to be made by sealing the road.
The council was almost unanimous, with all councillors except Mark Baxter, voting in favour of the motion.
Director of Operations Robert Fish answered the Councillors’ questions and explained the issues being presented.
“It currently costs an average of $170,000 a year in maintenance, grading and gravel resheeting to keep the road accessible, as it is the most frequently graded road in the Shire,” Mr Fish said.
“In the four years between 2013 and 2017 five crashes were reported to Police occurring in the gravel section, with no reported crashes on the sealed parts of the road.
“The recommendation to councillors to seal the road is based on reducing annual costs to maintain the road, enhancing safety of road users, reducing the risk exposure of council, providing amenity improvement to residents along the road, encouraging active transport uses, such as walking and riding, as well as reducing dust and gravel being deposited in the surrounding environment.”
The financial implications of continuing to maintain the gravel sections of the road were highlighted in the council report.
Taking into account that sealing the road would alter asset depreciation costs and reduce the gravel road maintenance budget, a sealed Point Plomer Road would result in an approximate annual saving of $50,000.
Councillor Dean Saul, who was first elected to council in 2004 and has heard many debates on the tarring of Point Plomer Rd, stated it was essential to put the issue to bed and tar the road.
“This has been a council agenda for more than 20-years,” Cr Saul said.
“It’s about time we put the health and safety of the people who live and travel on the road first.”
The councillors recently took a trip together to visit Point Plomer Rd.
“We were all amazed by the dust we witnessed be brought up by the vehicles travelling on the road,” Cr Saul said.
“We have an opportunity to tar a road, make it safe and ratepayers’ money can be put towards other areas in the region.”
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The road is subject to high traffic volumes, with traffic counts in school holiday periods recording over 1,000 vehicles per day or ranging between 250 and 600 vehicles per day outside of holidays.
Karen Gisondi, who has resided on Point Plomer Rd for 10-months, presented to council prior to the decision and argued the dirt road is currently degrading her lifestyle.
“Immediately after moving into our home, my husband and I both developed a cough and have been sick,” Mrs Gisondi said.
“The dust was unbearable throughout the Christmas school holidays and it has continued throughout the year, there’s no relief.
“Everyone was saying ‘it will get better’, but it hasn’t, it has quieted down a little but we are still covered in dust, still sick and there’s still hundreds of vehicles going by everyday.”
A compromise was suggested by Joshua Shorrock and Roger Fergusson, who represented the people against tarring the road, and presented to council.
Mr Shorrock proposed the speed limit on Point Plomer Rd, which currently doesn’t have a speed limit, be restricted to 50 km/hr and 40km past residential areas.
“A speed limit will lower the amount of dust in the air and also lower the amount of damage done to the road – making the costs lower for grading as it won’t be required as often,” Mr Shorrock said.
Councillor Anna Shields acknowledged Mr Shorrock’s suggested speed change but disregarded it as a solution.
“The police don’t police unsealed roads,” Cr Shields said.
“People speed in areas where they could potentially be caught so we can’t expect them to drive to the speed limit in an area where they don’t have that fear.
“I think people will drive above the speed limit.”
Point Plomer Rd extends to the south of Crescent Head through Goolawah National Park to Limeburners Creek national Park.
Kempsey Shire Council maintains the road over a length of 11.8km – from Crescent Head Rd to Big Hill – where the road enters Limeburners Creek national Park. Almost half of the road is already sealed with 5.6km tarred with two gravel sections of 4km and 2.2km remaining.
