A major upgrade of an unsealed road in a farming area north of Millicent has been sought by dozens of local residents. A petition to this effect with 40 signatures was tabled at Wattle Range Council’s June monthly meeting in Millicent.

The petitioners have called on council to consider the road works on Banya Road in the coming 2021/22 financial year. “Over the past 12 months, two sections of Banya Road have deteriorated to a standard that we believe is not acceptable,” stated the petitioners. “It is over 20 years since these sections of road were sheeted with gravel and not to the standard the latter sections were built to.

“This last year over 15,000 tonnes of produce would have been carried over this road. “When it is graded, the traffic on the road increases with super-phosphate fertilizer trucks, general farm use and the population of the area even down to Magareys Lane using the road.”

After the petition was tabled, there was a brief discussion with engineering services director Peter Halton explaining the works program for Banya Road and other nearby roads. The meeting then voted to receive and note the contents of the petition without committing to a particular course of action.

Mr Halton provided the following statement to The SE Voice after the meeting. He said a section of Banya Road between Smith and Main 300 roads was listed for re-sheeting in the 2028/29 financial year. “Smith Road between Banya Road and Southern Ports Highway is on the re-sheet program for 2021/22,” Mr Halton said. ‘The activity of re-sheeting is the placement of additional gravel on a road.

“The type of material depends on availability with council using both limestone and sandstone on the unsealed road. “We place the material to an approximate depth of 150mm which is graded, rolled and compacted. “The purpose of re-sheeting is to increase the strength of the road and thus reduce the frequency of maintenance.”

Mr Halton said the section of Banya Road on the resheet program for 2028/29 was 1.24km in length. He said the re-sheet of 2.8km for Smith Road was in the draft 2021/22 budget at a cost of $101,000. “It is part of a $1.209m re-sheeting program next financial year,” he said. “This program has increased from $783,000 in this current year.”