The cost of fixing the extensive damage caused to NSW roads by months of catastrophic and widespread flooding is predicted to cost billions of dollars.
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The NRMA's Fix Our Broken Roads report released on Tuesday revealed NSW councils already faced a $1.9 billion backlog in 2020/21 to maintain roads to a safe standard.
NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury says early indications suggest that figure will be dwarfed as the state's 128 councils begin to report the extent of damage caused by the flooding that has devastated NSW roads this year.
The backlog in the regions alone in 2020/21 was $1.5b and this financial year the backlog was already $1.1b, with only 60 per cent of regional councils reporting on the extent of the road damage so far.
"We know from the $1.9 billion existing funding deficit revealed by the NRMA today that things are already bad and will only get worse as the true devastation from the floods is quantified," Mr Khoury said.
Councils were going to need increased funding from state and federal governments to restore the state's road network, he said.
"As a community we need to work together to get councils the funding they need to get the job done," he said.
The report calls for more funding for councils as well as the adoption of new standards and materials to ensure roads are more resilient to damage, as well as a technology-driven audit of the road network to support maintenance.
Labor road spokesman John Graham says regional councils in NSW have only received about $50 million in funding, after the severe road damage caused by recent flooding.
"It's clear that councils need more help," Mr Graham said.
If Labor is elected in March, the party will shift the government's focus from expensive mega projects including building new toll roads and will redouble its efforts reconstructing regional roads.
The state government had broken a key promise made at the last election to take back control of 15,000 km of council-owned roads, he said.
"This is a broken promise now that reaches every corner of the state.
"Not a single kilometre of those 15,000 km which have been promised will have been lifted out of stretched councils into state hands."
Australian Associated Press
