Roads and Traffic
Inverell Shire Council has four major categories of roads; State Highway, Regional Roads, Local Rural Roads and Urban Streets.
For a full list of our public roads, download our Public Road Register, or alternatively view our Inverell Shire Road Network Map.
State Highway
HW12 (State Route B76) Gwydir Highway – 87.57 km
This road is fully funded and administered by the Transport for NSW (formally Roads & Maritime Service). Although Council staff provides input into the selection of projects to be funded, Transport for NSW determines the priority of projects and the extent of funding. The maintenance on this road is carried out by Council staff under the Road Maintenance Council Contract (RMCC) administered by Transport for NSW (formally RMS).
Regional Roads are roads within the Shire that were constructed and were formerly maintained by the Department of Main Roads (DMR). They are now maintained by Council staff under the “Block Grant Agreement” administered by Transport for NSW.
The regional roads within Inverell Shire are:
| Road ID | Road Name | Km's |
|---|---|---|
| MR462 | Bruxner Way | 104.04km |
| MR63 | Warialda Road | 32.28km |
| MR73 | Bundarra Road | 40.74km |
| MR134 | Bingara Road | 18.12km |
| MR135 | Guyra Road | 44.46km |
| MR137 | Ashford Road/Bonshaw Road | 93.92km |
| MR138 | Texas Road | 3.50km |
| MR187 | Yetman Road | 92.98km |
| Total regional | 390.55km | |
Capital Works Projects on Regional Roads are funded by REPAIR program, R2R, ACRD and Block Grant funds. Maintenance of the regional road network is funded by the “Block Grant”, administered by Transport for NSW.
Local Rural Roads
Maintenance of the local road network is fully funded by Council from Rates Revenue (General Fund). Capital Works Projects are funded by ACRD, R2R and Rates Revenue (General Fund).
Urban Streets
Capital Works Projects on Urban Streets are fully funded by Council from Rates Revenue (General Fund). Maintenance of urban streets is also fully funded by Council from Rates Revenue (General Fund).
| Street Name | Km's |
|---|---|
| Inverell streets | 102.76km |
| Ashford streets | 13.29km |
| Delungra streets | 7.68km |
| Tingha streets | 4.45km |
| Village streets | 29.75km |
| Total urban | 153.48km |
Rural Maintenance Program
The Rural Shire Roads System is made up by a network of interconnecting through roads and non-through roads which service the rural community. Factors influencing the maintenance of specific roads include:
- Provision of a service link between towns
- Tourist routes
- School bus routes
- Traffic volume (AADT’s and heavy vehicle usage)
- Flood free access
Using these factors, a road classification system has been designed which provides a road network system that whilst eliminating duplication of close parallel collector roads, provides a reasonable means of transport via minor roads to the collector road system. Council’s maintenance funds are limited and hence must be expended wisely in areas of greatest need.
The definitions of the Shire Road categories are:
| Road Type | Description | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Rural Arterial | Rural roads carrying high to moderate volumes of traffic and connecting local areas to regional roads or providing access from neighbouring shires into Council's rural areas. Roads identified by the community as being important for economic, environment or social reasons. | R1 |
| Rural Collector | Rural roads carrying moderate volumes of local and commercial traffic and connecting local areas to arterial roads in Council's rural areas. | R2 |
| Rural Access | Rural roads carrying low to moderate volumes of local traffic. Their primary function is to provide access to agricultural properties within Council's rural area. | R3 |
| Rural Minor | Rural roads carrying low to very low volumes of local traffic. These roads generally provide limited residential and minor commercial access to one or two rural homesteads. | R4 |
| Urban Arterial | Urban roads carrying high traffic volumes including commercial vehicles and providing the principal routes for vehicles in and around the major urban areas. Roads identified by the community as being important for economic, environment or social reasons. | U1 |
| Urban Link | Urban roads carrying high to moderate volumes of traffic and providing a link between local areas in Council's urban areas. | U2 |
| Urban Collector | Urban roads carrying moderate volumes of traffic and connecting local areas to link and arterial roads in Council's urban areas. | U3 |
| Urban Access | Urban roads carrying mainly local traffic. Their primary function is to provide access to private properties but also provide for some through traffic. | U4 |
| Urban Minor | Urban roads carrying only small volumes of local traffic. Mostly made up of urban laneways and small service roads. | U5 |
Outside of the above classifications, Council is also responsible for a number of roads that receive no scheduled maintenance. These are the formed and unformed tracks traversing the many Council controlled road reserves throughout the Shire (often called paper roads), which are not included on the Shire’s asset register and are not managed by Councils Roads Asset Management Plan.
Emergency road repairs (for instance following storm damage or flooding) and isolated faults are attended to according to the Risk Management Policy (Roads). Under this policy, urgent matters are to be inspected within an average of four hours from notification, and repairs effected within an average of two days.
Maintaining the road network
Maintenance is the regular on-going work that is necessary to keep assets operating. Maintenance does not increase the service potential of an asset or keep it in its original condition; it slows down deterioration and delays when rehabilitation or replacement is necessary.
Unsealed Roads
Routine maintenance of unsealed road pavements generally consists of two major activities:
- Patrol maintenance comprises light grading to smooth road surfaces, restoring crossfall, clearing blocked drains and culverts, and the restoration of signs and roadside furniture.
- Periodic or cyclical maintenance comprises heavy formation grading, gravel patching, pavement recompaction, reshaping of cross sections and restoration of drainage systems – cleaning, replacing, scour checks etc.
Sealed Roads
Routine maintenance of sealed roads consists of several activities for each of the assets present in the segment:
- the bituminous surface – pothole patching, crack filling/sealing, sweeping, surface correction, minor sealing, and debris clearing
- the pavement – excavating and replacing, scarifying and reshaping, minor stabilising (patching)
- surface drains – Reshaping of cross sections and restoration of drainage systems – cleaning, replacing, scour checks etc.
- culverts, pipes, pits, subsoil drains, flood-ways – cleaning, repairing
- vegetation/roadside – mowing, slashing, trimming, litter collection, sweeping, repairs to retaining structures
- signs and road furniture – cleaning, repairing, replacing, painting
- pavement markings – repainting, replacing
Reactive Maintenance
Maintaining Council’s roads through regular investment is the most effective way to preserve the condition of the assets and reduce the risk of defects occurring and intervention becoming necessary. However, even with regular investment, defects will occur; reactive maintenance refers to works that are carried out as a matter of urgency, usually to repair these defects for reasons of safety.
Gravel Resheeting
In addition to the normal grading cycle, unsealed road surfaces deteriorate over time as the fine portion of the gravel surface is lost as dust. New gravel is brought in, in accordance with the classification of the road. Depending on the distance from the nearest suitable gravel pit, the typical cost of gravel resheeting for a 100mm overlay is in the order of $20,000 per km.
Council undertakes a gravel resheet program each financial year based on funding available and a priority basis as determined by Council’s Asset Management System.
View the link Gravel Resheeting Program 2023/24 for the current program.
Bitumen Resealing
Bitumen surfaces deteriorate due to vehicle wear and oxidation and need to be resealed with a target cycle of 15 years. The current cost of resealing for rural roads is $4.50 per square metre, which equates to $27,000 per km for a typical rural road.
Council undertake a bitumen resurfacing program each financial year based on funding available and a priority basis as determined by Council’s Asset Management System.
View the Bitumen Resurfacing Program 2023/2024 for the current program.
Sealed Pavement Rehabilitation
The bitumen surface is supported by gravel pavement material (road base). Such pavements have a design life of 30 years, however often last beyond this (or are required to last beyond this due to insufficient resources). As older pavements are renewed the road is redesigned to Austroad standards, providing a safer and more comfortable alignment. The typical cost of a rural rehabilitation project is a minimum of $300,000 per km, but may be up to twice this cost depending on the number of bulk earthworks (cuttings etc) and new drainage structures.
Additional Maintenance
Council conducts a routine risk inspection of the road network, giving priority to the higher classes of road. Regional roads are inspected quarterly, with all roads inspected at least once per year.
As defects (such as potholes, damaged signs and guideposts etc.) are located, the information is logged using GPS and recorded in field computers. Maps of defects are then made available to maintenance staff to conduct repairs. The information is also used to help determine funding allocations to roads requiring an upgrade.
Disabled Parking Bays
Within the Central Business District of Inverell, exclusive parking bays are available for those with a disability who are current holders of a Roads and Maritime Services issued disabled parking permit. These parking bays can be identified by parking signs marked with the universal symbol. Further information regarding Disabled Parking may be found on the Transport for NSW website.
To view the current disabled parking bays in the Inverell township, please see our Disabled Parking map.
B-Double Routes
B-Double routes can be found on the Roads and Maritime Website under the – RMS RAV link.
Updated on 08-March-2024
