Road akin to 4WD track
IT’S A road so bad, cars are swallowed up by it, and locals need to be ferried by tractors to go to work and school.
Posties won’t deliver mail on it and garbage workers can’t use it to empty wheelie bins.
It’s the reality for Huddson Smith and his parents Jason and Mikaela, who are among 30 residents calling on the council to upgrade Oestreich Road reserve in Wellcamp.
The condition of the 1.6km stretch of black soil road has become so bad that only fourwheel-drives can traverse it after even a small amount of rain.
Mr Smith said the road’s condition had deteriorated to the point where emergency services might not be able to reach properties during a crisis.
“Our biggest concern is trying to get out in worst-case conditions, or emergency services can’t get in,” he said.
“The biggest issue is the drainage, everything is silted up so the road is the drain which is why there’s all this water here.
“We’ve got a farming business and we can’t get trucks in or out to sell our produce.”
The road also has an appetite for cars, with a neighbour’s sedan falling into a huge gap in the middle of the road several months ago.
Tow trucks haven’t been able to reach it yet.
Mrs Smith said her husband had to ferry the family across the sludge, either by tractor or an old car equipped with mud tyres, to reach their main vehicles parked on a neighbouring property.
“We’ve provided so much evidence to them, including medical certificates from our GP, as one of our sons has a medical condition,” she said.
Residents will find out the council’s response at next week’s committee meetings, after years of advocacy to staff and elected officials.
“It’s been frustratingly slow and (council) won’t tell you any information,” Mr Smith said.
Councillor Carol Taylor said locals needed to understand the financial constraints of council, pointing out that a public road reserve was not the same as a regular road.