ARMIDALE Regional Council administrator Ian Tiley will appeal to the state government to pick up the tab for Kempsey Road maintenance.
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Dr Tiley met with residents at Wollomombi last week, with Kempsey Road users calling for the road to be reclassified.
“The [state] government doesn’t put money into maintenance, and that creates a significant cost on Council,” he said.
“I’ll be making a submission to the minister as soon as possible.
“It’s really hard to secure reclassification, that’s what the track record is.”
Currently, the road is classed as a local road, meaning Council is responsible for the cost of upkeep.
But locals like Jo McRae want the windy stretch to be looked after by the state government and categorised as a regional road.
Ms McRae, who lives 10 kilometres along the Kempsey Road, says the stretch is so rough it is damaging her vehicle.
“Just in the last six months I’ve [had to replace] eight tyres,” Ms McRae said. “It adds up.”
One of the concerns for residents, Ms McRae says, is two kilometres of unsealed road which “desperately” needs attention.
“We’re only asking for $600,000 – it’s not a big ask really,” she said.
“With the gradient if it’s wet and greasy trucks have to get pulled up by a tractor.”
Ms McRae said a band of residents had been campaigning for years to have the road reclassified with disappointing results.
She’s taken the cause to Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall, who told The Express he supports the plan.
“My understanding of the process is Council has to make a case to have the road reclassified,” Mr Marshall said.
“I’m more than happy to, once they’ve put together the case, to stand with them.
“We need to make the case for that and … we need to see the data.”
He said the procedure of changing the classification was a “standardised process” and had to go through the correct channels.
“I don’t have the power to click my fingers and make that happen; I’m a local MP not Roads and Maritime Services,’ he said.
Mr Marshall said part of making the case would include data on the traffic flow, economic impacts of the road and how it was used as a tourism route.
Ms McRae said there would be a strong case to be made for the utilitarian nature of the road, which is the connector between Armidale and Kempsey.
“It’s got tourism, it’s got economic benefits - it’s the main road to a world heritage listed national park,” she said.
“We have a lot of traffic on the road during those periods like the Easter weekend.
“Primary producers are missing out on income because of the delays getting produce into town."
