Local government road managers will be able to assess up to 1000 bridges, roads and culverts after a $12.1 million funding announcement this week.
The new Commonwealth money will go to support a second phase of the Strategic Local Government Asset Assessment Project (SLGAAP).
Established by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) in 2019 with $8 million in Commonwealth funding, the project is aimed at improved assessment of road assets across rural and regional Australia to ensure heavy vehicles can reliably access a high-quality road network.
The pilot phase of the SLGAAP supported road managers to make informed assessments of more than 200 bridges, roads, and culverts.
Click here to read the outcomes at two councils (the Central Highlands Regional Council and the Bega Valley Shire Council) that undertook assessments as part of the initial phase of SLGAAP.
The NHVR and road managers are now working through the delivery and assessment of phase two of the program, and are urging local governments to submit any assets that may be eligible for assessment.
Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz described the program as “vital for helping road managers better understand their local infrastructure capacity.
“[It will bring] opportunities for new heavy vehicle networks to move freight efficiently – which will, in turn, bring significant boosts for local economies,” he said this week.
Click here for more information and project updates.