As the surface of the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) continues to experience problems, with cracked pavement just six months after major repairs, it is difficult to weigh up these options.

The council says budgets have been a factor when deciding what road surface to use.

Summer Street might have been built on a foundation of steel and concrete, and mayor John Davis has indicated perhaps the NDR should have been built the same way, but the cost of such a sturdy construction is much greater ... and Summer Street is a state government-maintained road.

Imagine the outcry if the better method had been used, but just a quarter of the NDR had been built for ratepayers’ money? An unfinished road is arguably worse than a poor-quality one if it means heavy traffic passing through Orange has no choice but to use Summer Street.

While money may have been saved during the project’s construction, it seems to be costing ratepayers now.

The top layers of the road between Molong Road and the Escort Way were cleared in January and replaced due to problems with the surface.

The council completed the work and, despite certification, the materials have not bonded and the road is back to where it was, six months and $750,000 later.

Because it was council work, not a contractor, there is no recourse or warranty for a faulty product and it will fall on the council again to repair it. 

With councillors now regularly pointing out sub-par road surfaces in council meetings, the quality debate needs to be conducted.

Orange’s climate will always present challenges so either ratepayers need to be willing to wait for a road to be built or upgraded to a higher standard or contend with easier-wearing surfaces delivered more quickly.