Cabonne mayor Kevin Beatty seeks $10 million in government funding for Cargo Road upgrades, Phil Donato warns Orange drivers to slow down if using it

Cr Beatty was responding to calls by State Member Phil Donato and road user Vicki Close, the latter describing the Cargo Road as a death trap, with the road surface a litany of potholes and crumbling bitumen.

"Council has been very concerned about the deteriorating condition of Cargo Road particularly given the ongoing rainfall events that have taken place across the region over the last two years, Cr Beatty said.

He said Cabonne had been lobbying State and Federal Governments for close to $10 million in funding to undertake safety work on Cargo Road, which is the major link between Orange and Canowindra.

"Prior to the Federal election, I lobbied all federal candidates on additional funding for Cargo Road. This road is Council's number one priority," he said.

Cr Beatty said in recent months, Cabonne Council has upgraded the corner of Cargo Road and Lake Canobolas Road and completed heavy patching work, especially around Montoro Wines and Biggen Hill.

There has also been 5km of rehab from Canowindra to Condamine Lane but while the weather remains bad, the priority has been on patching and filling potholes, using its normal government funding to do the work."

"This funding does not allow Council to make road improvements, but rather just undertake like-for-like replacement," Cr Beatty said. "I am writing to all key state and federal members again seeking urgent funding for a Cargo Road Safety Program."

Mr Donato said he had also written to the government asking for funding.

"Local councils don't have the capacity to do those roads up, they need significant State Government funding," Mr Donato said.

"Cabonne might have be been a natural disaster declaration which gives them a maybe a million dollars or one point four but that's not going to cut it. They need significant government investment to do the job properly.

"All the springs are full, all the underground springs, when the road was built originally there wasn't sufficient drainage put in ... it's been a problem for a while, it's not new but it's been exacerbated by the recent poor weather."

Cr Beatty said that project needs approximately $9.3 million in funding which would include shoulder sealing, sight line improvements, safety barriers, line marking and hazard removal.

"The works are expected to provide a safer, more reliable road for all road users," Cr Beatty said.

"With the current state of the road, Council's priority works are to upgrade and widen the road shoulders and to complete vegetation works, as well as repairing the failed road surface and drainage issues."

"The road reserve and alignment doesn't provide many opportunities for specific overtaking lanes, although the proposed works will widen the road and increase motorist line of sight, which in turn will increase overtaking opportunities."

In the meantime, Mr Donato warned drivers to slow down while using Cargo Road with potholes deceptive in depth, especially when filled with water.

"Slow down, be vigilant and be aware," he said.

The breakdown of proposed works is:

To read more stories, download the Central Western Daily news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.