Finishing touches to the new pedestrian footpath along the Showground Road verge into Pioneer Park. With just dirt between road and path, a future flood will surely gouge out the dirt and we’re back to square one.
It’s taken four years
IT’S ONLY taken four years, but remediation of the floodway over Showground Road at Pioneer Park is finally being completed.
In the 12 months to November 2022 the Bell River flooded 11 times, creating havoc along its path and finally eroding a land barrier dividing it from the Macquarie River and taking out the Gobolion Roadway leading onto the Duke of Wellington Bridge.
While funding for that road replacement has been found, many more millions are needed to construct a barrier against further floods in both the Macquarie and Bell Rivers.
While Council has not commented, it seemed the delay was due to the roads department not wanting responsibility for the damage.
In the meantime, there have been delays in remediating the floodway on Showground Road at Pioneer Park, but funds were recently allocated to fix the 600 square metres of road shoulder and roadside verge.
Work began on Monday and after levelling, a concrete pathway was laid to enable future floodwaters possible easier flow across the road and onto the Park.
Also now making the roadway safe for pedestrian use.
Council said the works remain ongoing, and are part of an $87,000 NSW Government Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements grant to repair flood damaged Council transport assets.
The remediation will now allow pedestrians to safely walk along showground Road to the Bell River bridge giving access from the town west.
But as the road verge is still compacted dirt and gravel, the next flood is sure to wash that away and leave gaping gouged holes between footpath and road?
Instead, maybe that in between area should also be concreted to allow easier floodwater flow across road, footpath and onto park?
In an earlier announcement, Council was successful in winning a $437,000 grant from the NSW Government for concreting the existing gravel cyclist/pedestrian path from Showground Road and Renshaw McGirr Way corner along to Bushrangers Creek Road towards Mount Arthur.
This is funded under Minister for Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison’s ‘Road Safety Program’.
The installation of the shared path will help to increase safety and reduce road traffic accidents.