A $2.72 million windfall will enable Council to make an “impression” on improving the Shire’s 970km local road network, according to Mayor Phil Yeo.

Wingecarribee will receive $680,549 a year for the next four years as part of the Federal Government’s fuel excise funded Roads To Recovery program.

The grant, combined with the $942,960 already allocated for 2000/01 and Council’s own budget of $1.54 million, comes amid a review of the Shire’s road priority criteria.

Cr Yeo admitted yesterday Council was facing an enormous task attending to the hundreds of requests to seal or improve roads.

The issue was central in discussions at the recent councillor retreat to Warragamba, where it was resolved the budget would have to make more allowances.

“You’ve got three towns and 12 villages all with pressing issues,” Cr Yeo said.

“What we’ve got to do is prioritise jobs ... we will now be able to make sure we meet the most urgent priorities.”

He couldn’t specify which roads will be targeted or when the grant money will be used.

He did say Council is in the process of compiling a detailed report of how road works are prioritised.

The prioritising process review was first broached by Cr Heather Carter at the August 9 Council meeting during a debate on sealing roads in Colo Vale.

This review would be conducted by February next year, according to the minutes of that meeting.

Cr Yeo yesterday added “by February we should have a pretty good idea on some of our more urgent cases”.

Council will also have to juggle the issue of silica road dust which some reports claim poses a health risk.

The August 9 meeting was told the reconstruction of sections of Boolwey Street, Kirkham Road and Station Street in Bowral were “priority one” in Council’s rural/distributor road program.

Acacia Street in Colo Vale was the only “priority one” project in the urban roadworks program, which included more than 80 mooted projects ranging in cost from $800,000 to a few thousand dollars.

“We, that is Council as a body, are very much aware that we need to create a greater impression,” Cr Yeo said.

Speaking for the Government, Member for Gilmore Joanna Gash said it’s time for ratepayers to make their views known to Council about the state of local roads.

“This is a real chance for Council to catch up on road improvements, with such a small rate base, they have always been struggling to stretch their road dollars further and we have the chance to really do something special,” Mrs Gash said.

This Shire has 612km of sealed local road and 358km unsealed.