Published on Monday, 23 August 2021 at 11:32:14 AM
To the Community,
Council would like to thank all Brookton residents for their patience and understanding as the Shire has opened and closed roads during what was an exceptionally wet July. These decisions are not taken lightly and are done to protect the road network from any unnecessary damage, which at the end of the day effects all ratepayers. While the cost to the Shire of Brookton may be minimal compared to many other Local Governments across the Wheatbelt, there is however still a cost.
What we know:
- Brookton has seen one of its wettest winters in the past 40 years.
- We acknowledge that some of our road drainage has not had the attention it should have had for many, many, years. Council is addressing this, and we ask for your continued patience and understanding as this will take quite some time to rectify across the whole of the Shire road network.
- Estimates to repair those roads that have suffered considerable damage due to water erosion or road user damage to be in the vicinity of $120,000.
What we don’t know:
- Whether any more significant rain is on the horizon that will further impact the local road network.
- How long it will take some of the Shire roads to dry out knowing some currently have considerable water inundation.
What we are going to do:
- We are prioritising the necessary road works to have the majority of our unsealed network repaired and ready for the upcoming harvest season.
- We are hiring a third Grader so that the Shire’s plant and equipment can continue working on our regular winter grading program, and the third grader will work on:
- The School Bus routes
- The Regional distributor roads that feed the majority of heavy vehicle traffic during harvest
- Those roads that have suffered considerable damage whether through water damage or road user damage. This includes Brookton-Kweda, South Kweda, Matthews, Nalya North, Nalya South, Boyagarra, North Kweda, Corberding, Smart and Youraling Roads.
What we need you to do:
Check with the Shire Administration if the road looks visibly wet and you wish to drive a heavy vehicle over 4.5 tonne on it. The Shire is here to help you all access your properties and continue to run your farming operations, but some of the damage that has been caused to the local road network could have been completely avoided if people had of just stopped and checked the condition of the road. In addition, if you are operating under a RAV permit, please check the conditions that apply to the road as most unsealed roads within the Shire have the condition “Do not use when visibly wet, without the express permission of the road owner”, the Shire of Brookton.
Katrina Crute – Shire President on behalf of the Shire of Brookton Councillors.
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