![Major damage has occurred at Rockgedgiel Road in Bundella. Picture by Liverpool Plains Shire Council Major damage has occurred at Rockgedgiel Road in Bundella. Picture by Liverpool Plains Shire Council](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/150521478/51e791c4-5ae0-43de-8735-ce825d0ea088.jpg/r0_0_600_337_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
REGIONAL towns are close to breaking point as their roads and hopes for repairs crumble beneath them.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Liverpool Plains Shire Council mayor Doug Hawkins has called damage to flooded roads the "worst" he has seen in his time.
"I think everyone became a little bit complacent, that it was never going to happen to us," he said.
"But all I know is that local communities need to be fully prepared at all times for the worst case scenarios."
Major thoroughfares like Coonabarabran Road, Gap Road and Bundella Road have taken a beating from several rain events during the past month, with the damage estimated to run into the "millions" of dollars.
"It would have cost nearly as much to patch things up as what it would have done to build a good road in the first place," Cr Hawkins said.
READ ALSO:
"Small" grant money that is acquired by council is used to patch up roads, but as soon as the rain hits Cr Hawkins said they were back to square one.
"I'll be pushing very strongly over the next couple of weeks with meetings that I have for the state government to make a few movements," he said.
The push comes after months of lobbying the state government to take ownership of several roads within the shire.
![Liverpool Plains Shire Council mayor Doug Hawkins said the roads were the worst he had ever seen them. Picture by Gareth Gardner Liverpool Plains Shire Council mayor Doug Hawkins said the roads were the worst he had ever seen them. Picture by Gareth Gardner](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/150521478/2c6180e7-4239-41c8-b891-8171d18af89f.jpg/r0_75_4234_2455_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Liverpool Plains Business Chamber president Sally Alden, said the roads were not only important for the transportation of fibre and food, but also attracting visitors to the region.
"They are also the arteries linking the heart of towns across our region to potential tourists and visitor dollars," she said.
Due to the wet soil, large scale sunflower planting which usually attracts tourists from across the state, has been postponed until next year.
"That gives our region some time to focus on the most important roads for both food supply and tourism dollar," Ms Alden said.
![Emergency road repairs have taken place in the shire during the past month. Picture by Liverpool Plains Shire Council Emergency road repairs have taken place in the shire during the past month. Picture by Liverpool Plains Shire Council](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/150521478/ed0f8b9f-2b13-4f58-b40a-c96a2c4745cf.jpg/r0_0_526_701_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
With the painting of the silos in Quirindi expected to start at the end of this month, Ms Alden said tourists could travel via Quirindi between Willow Tree and Tamworth to see the project unfold.
Minister for regional transport and roads Sam Farraway said he knew "full well" the pressure facing local councils.
"We have provided assistance to councils through our Fixing Local Roads and Fixing Country Roads programs as well as through block grant funding," he said.
Mr Farraway is expected to address local council representatives at the Local Government Association conference on Tuesday.
Cr Hawkins will meet with both representatives from the state government and opposition in the coming months.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News