Kooringal Road set to re-open after rain setback
Published: 09 Jul 2021 12:04pm
Upgrade works on Kooringal Road will be temporarily halted and the road re-opened as soon as practicable as forecasts of more wet weather in coming weeks place more pressure on the project.
Wagga Wagga City Council Director Operations Warren Faulkner said this week the current 350-metre section of road being rehabilitated has been held up due to recent heavy rainfall.
He said Council hoped to seal this section at the weekend (10-11 July) and would re-open the road as soon as the seal is finished and is ready to take traffic.
He stressed this would only be possible if there was no rain to postpone works yet again.
“The rain has been our biggest challenge since the project started,” Mr Faulkner said.
“We’re not going to put a pavement seal over wet gravel. That practice will simply result in the surface blistering, peeling and pot holing – so we can’t do it until the gravel dries out, and that’s been the main hold-up on this job.
“Normally we wouldn’t attempt to do roadworks in the cooler months because of the threat of rain and lower temperatures, but there were funding deadlines we had to meet by 30 June and as a consequence certain parts of this job haven’t gone exactly to plan.”
Mr Faulkner said works to finish another 800 metres of rehabilitation on the southern section of Kooringal Road would be scheduled early in the new year when it’s warmer and conditions are better.
“It will mean traffic conditions will change again when we come back on site and we recognise and appreciate the community’s patience and understanding … we will communicate those works and keep the community updated on our progress when we resume,” he said.
“We have a large rehabilitation program which also includes Lake Albert Road Stage 3 and the Pearson Street/Dobney Avenue upgrade … these roads are significant projects which will benefit the community when completed.”
A 900-metre section along the northern end of Kooringal Road near Equex is completed, along with a 500-metre section at the southern end.