Road Maintenance Challenges During Wet Conditions

Due to a prolonged wet period, Council has not been able to carry out maintenance grading as usual. During the short periods of fine weather, we’ve been dispatching all possible crews to undertake grading works however there is still much of our 525km unsealed road network that requires repairs.  While we make every effort to carry out maintenance, we thank the community for your patience and understanding and request that unsealed road users drive to conditions until the weather improves and maintenance works can continue to be carried out.

Four Reasons Why Council Cannot Grade Roads in Wet Weather

•  Unpassable Conditions - Grading an unsealed road when it's wet can leave it unpassable due to increased rutting as the heavy equipment causes deeper depressions in the softened road surface.  The softened road surface allows water to penetrate the road resulting in boggy conditions.
• Environment Impacts - Grading wet roads can contribute to soil erosion and sediment runoff, which can harm nearby waterways and ecosystems.
• Equipment and Road Damage - Operating heavy grading equipment on wet roads can be challenging and may increase the risk of damage to the machinery or the road surface itself.
• Poor Road Quality Outcomes - grading while wet does not improve the running surface of our roads in the long term.  Effective grading can only be achieved with optimum moisture levels allowing for successful compaction.

A weekly report of our unsealed road maintenance can be found at Council’s website: https://www.cassowarycoast.qld.gov.au/unsealedroads

For further information contact Council at 1300 763 903 or email enquiries@cassowarycoast.qld.gov.au.