![Residents Phillip Morton, Ray Griffiths and Russell Salt discuss the benefits of an upgrade to Bril Bril Road. Picture by Carol Griffiths Residents Phillip Morton, Ray Griffiths and Russell Salt discuss the benefits of an upgrade to Bril Bril Road. Picture by Carol Griffiths](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/sapAXd8fteEmz8dCxaLv7J/e03bed20-25f1-49fb-a5ca-069f5ef91635.JPG/r65_0_4743_2535_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Residents feel cheated by a "council backflip" on the Bril Bril Road road upgrade, spokesman Ray Griffiths says.
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Port Macquarie-Hastings Council in 2019 threw its support behind the Bril Bril Road upgrade with planning and design work as the first step. Project planning for the upgrade started to take shape.
The move followed lobbying from residents for the council to upgrade the 6.8 kilometre unsealed rural road at Rollands Plains to improve safety.
But the council now proposes to redirect funding in the draft 2023-2024 Operational Plan to improve the road's conditions rather than progressing a concept design for the upgrade.
Residents through a petition are calling on the council to continue to work towards the full upgrade project.
A petition, with more than 50 signatures, demands that the council go ahead with a design application, which was put on hold after the March 2021 floods.
Mr Griffiths said any upgrade to the road could not go ahead without it.
"Delaying this procedure will only increase costs in the future, no matter how long it takes council to procure funds for rural and regional roads," he said.
A report to the April council meeting said $414,500 was foreshadowed in 2023-2024 for investigation and concept design for the Bril Bril Road upgrade and sealing.
The construction work would have a price tag of at least $7 million.
"There has been considerable deterioration of the road network over the past few years due to wet weather and growth in the LGA, meaning priorities for works on our network need to primarily focus on condition of the existing status of sealed and unsealed roads and also capacity," the report said.
The report said accordingly, the draft 2023-2024 Operational Plan identifies making improvements to the road conditions with the foreshadowed funding rather than progressing a concept design.
The report said this will provide the opportunity for works to be done on Bril Bril Road, providing a tangible improvement, noting two bridges on the road will also be replaced.
The council secured Fixing Country Bridges Program grant funding for the two bridge replacement projects.
Mr Griffiths, on behalf of residents, will lodge a submission about Bril Bril Road during the exhibition of the Draft 2023-2024 Operational Plan.
"Understandably, residents feel cheated by the seemingly sudden turnaround for the upgrade to go ahead as originally planned," Mr Griffiths said.
Bril Bril Road is a through road to Bellangry and then Wauchope.
The road is a logging truck route, and is also used by other rural-related heavy machinery, local traffic and motorists on their way to and from state forest camping and 4WD spots.
Lyne MP Dr David Gillespie has written to council's CEO Dr Clare Allen seeking her consideration and advice about the council's Bril Bril Road funding allocation.
Oxley MP Michael Kemp supports the residents' push for the design application phase to go ahead.
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