July 3, 2019
Work to determine the true condition of Gympie Regional Council’s gravel road network began on Tuesday.
The task of assessing the roads, which have been the focus of complaints particularly from western parts of the region, will be undertaken by an independent contractor, Shepherd Services Pty Ltd.
Shepherd is the same company which developed the RACAS (“Road Asset Condition Assessment System”) system used by the South Burnett Regional Council during its road assessment program.
The Gympie assessment is being undertaken as part of the GRC’s gravel road maintenance practices review adopted at the March 27 Council meeting.
Mayor Mick Curran said the study would not only assess the condition of the region’s gravel roads, but also allow council to compare the condition of its gravel road network with other councils.
“The results of this independent assessment mean that we will have accurate data to be able to reflect on how well we are currently prioritising road maintenance works,” he said.
All gravel roads within the region will be driven on by a survey vehicle which is equipped with GPS, an accelerometer, gravity sensor and camera, which can be controlled by a tablet from within the vehicle.
The data captured during this process will be analysed and a detailed report developed for council’s review and consideration.
“Our region has more than 900km of gravel roads, so this data will not only give us an immediate snapshot of the state of our gravel roads but also ensure that council can better respond to road maintenance issues in the future,” the Mayor said.
The assessment is expected to be completed in October 2019.
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