Council drives road recovery after Ipswich flood events
01 March 2023
Council has filled more than 13,000 potholes and reopened 100 roads and bridges as part of more than $15 million spent on getting our road network back on track following the two damaging Ipswich flood events in 2022.
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Chair Mayor Teresa Harding said a substantial amount of roads required urgent repair due to damage sustained from flood waters in February and May 2022.
“Council crews inspected more than 255km of gravel roads and nearly three-quarters of our sealed road network in the first three days of the flood waters receding,” Mayor Harding said.
“To put that in perspective, that is the same distance from 1 Nicholas Street in Ipswich Central to the foot of Fraser Island.
“I am immensely proud of the work council road crews have done, and continue to do, to make sure our city’s road network was back operating as soon as possible and safe for all road users.”
Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee Deputy Chair Councillor Paul Tully said the minor flood in May 2022 unfortunately resulted in further damage to roads that had been temporarily repaired.
“While the two flood events significantly affected arterial routes and roads across Ipswich, damage to gravel and unsealed roads severely impacted our rural residents and businesses,” Cr Tully said.
“The recovery of our gravel roads has cost around $2.34 million so far with repairs to 55 gravel roads having been completed and 156 still to be repaired, estimated to cost $6 million, over the coming year.
“The challenge council crews and contractors continue to face is managing the city’s reconstruction works while also servicing day-to-day requests and maintenance program for our residents.”
Deputy Mayor and Division 1 Councillor Jacob Madsen said urban and gravel roads are being prioritised based on safety and the level of damage to the road’s surface and structural integrity.
“Gravel roads in western Ipswich, like many other in rural Ipswich communities, were severely impacted by the major flood in February and the minor flood event in May 2022,” Cr Madsen said.
“Carmichaels Road in Purga and Cummings Road in Lower Mt Walker required urgent work, costing more than $28,000 and $62,000 respectively, to enable residents access to their properties.”
Division 1 Councillor Sheila Ireland said council crews and contractors have been working as quickly as possible to safely repair roads across the city.
“Roads such as Wards Road and McGuires Hut Road in South Ripley needed immediate work to re-establish property access,” Cr Ireland said.
“I would like to thank residents across Division 1 for their assistance and patience during roadworks that have helped reconnect our rural communities with the city.
“For more information about our city’s flood recovery, including a link to an interactive map showing the recovery projects and the progress of repairs, visit Ipswich.qld.gov.au/services/flood-recovery”