The Central Western Daily took photos of the road on Monday, showing long strips of pavement missing between Hill Street and The Escort Way.

In one location between the Mitchell Highway and The Escort Way, the line marking the edge of the road cannot be seen after the bitumen beneath it wore away.

Meanwhile, near Astill Drive, a motorist crossed the double lines onto the wrong side of the road to avoid the uneven surface.

The section between the Mitchell Highway and The Escort Way was closed for two-and-a-half months last year to complete $750,000 worth of repairs.

Orange City Council traffic committee chair Russell Turner said the road should not have deteriorated so quickly. 

“It’s broken up in six different spots already,” Cr Turner said.

“What we need to look at is the quality of the road - the roads we are rebuilding, are we building them to a suitable standard?”

Mayor John Davis said he grew “sick and tired” of people giving a running commentary on road damage, and the road had encountered twice the heavy transport levels NSW Roads and Maritime Services anticipated.

“If we put concrete underneath, that’s the way it should have been done, but it hasn’t been and basically we struggle with our climate and soil conditions,” he said.

“We’re going to have a major program announcement in the next month - the fact is Orange has a problem in the wet and the snow and ice hasn’t helped either, but the patching guys are doing their best, and in spring and summer we will have to make a major effort to bring the roads up to scratch.” 

Council spokesman Nick Redmond said it was particularly disappointing and surprising breaks in the surface between The Escort Way and the Mitchell Highway had appeared. 

“When the work was done, industry standard testing at the time indicated the road had been built well,” he said.

“As well as the cold and wet weather there may be other factors at play, and the council is seeking further industry advice. 

“Samples of the gravel and materials used have been sent for testing to look for reasons why the surface didn’t bond.”

Mr Redmond said the council previously had success repairing sections of the bypass, including the section of road near the railway bridge, and the rest of Orange’s roads had not shown as much damage during recent wet weather.

danielle.cetinski@fairfaxmedia.com.au