The unrelenting heavy rains that have hammered parts of the country have caused massive damage to road and related infrastructure, and road users are seriously worried about it.
The deluge and resultant floods has caused chaos in large areas between the eastern Northern Territory and eastern Western Australia, with parts of the Pilbara, Goldfields-Esperance and Swan Valley reportedly being declared disaster areas
As well as adventurous grey nomads and other travellers, truckies are being directly affected by the extensive damage to both sealed and unsealed roads.
The Australasian Transport News (ATN) publication reports that Western Australian and Northern Territory freight industry bodies have both called for urgent federal funds to tackle the damage.
“With so many Territory roads now closed this will have wider ramifications for the local economy,” NT Road Transport Association (NTRTA) president, Michael Swart, told ATN. “The flood damage may not have come about due to a cyclone or natural disaster but it is imperative that the Federal Government urgently directs funding relief to undertake urgent repairs of critical regional roads, which are the lifeblood of the Territory.”
There are still restrictions in place along the Stuart Highway due to potholes and flooding and an earlier temporary closure of the route sparked chaotic scenes. The executive officer of the NTRTA, Louise Bilato, said the sight of so many trucks parked up at the Daly Waters roadhouse “sent a shiver down the spine of most Territorians reliant as ever on road trains for their freight supplies”.
ATN reports that while much of the focus has been to the north of the country, eastern parts of WA have also been hit hard. It says the Western Australian Road Transport Association (WARTA) is also calling on the federal government to provide immediate funding assistance to both the state and local governments.
“Major damage to both sealed and gravel roads that form the arteries of WA’s freight logistics distribution have been severely damaged in many places from the Kimberley to Esperance,” said WARTA’S executive officer, Cam Dumesny. “It is completely unrealistic for many regional and rural shires to fund the immediate repairs required.”
· Have you been affected by the extensive rain damage to our road system? Comment below.
