Years of flood chaos on important arterial road to end with new funding

Independent Member for Lake Macquarie, Greg Piper, was manning a NSW Rural Fire Service truck in April 2022 when Deaves Road became a natural disaster zone.

His job was to warn motorists that part of the Mandalong arterial road, which links the fast-growing south-west Lake Macquarie suburbs of Morisset and Cooranbong, was completely submerged by floodwater.

"There was section of it, about 200 metres, flooded at quite some depth," Mr Piper said. "A vehicle could not traverse it.

"Even our fire tanker could not get through there, so it does flood through here quite deeply."

On Monday, Mr Piper returned to Deaves Road alongside federal Labor Member for the Hunter Dan Repacholi and Lake Macquarie's Labor mayor Adam Shultz to announce a long-awaited $8.7 million funding package to flood-proof the increasingly important transport link.

The federal government has pledged $4.6 million to the upgrade and the state government has chipped in $4.1 million.

The construction by Lake Macquarie City Council will upgrade 2.1 kilometres of Deaves Road between Crawford and Mandalong Roads, improve the surface and install upgraded culverts to better maintain heavy rainfall.

The project is scheduled for completion in April 2027.

"I knew what it was like when this road really failed four years ago and for heavy vehicles to be able to use this road safely was just not something that was viable," Mr Piper said.

"It's really important our community can move through here safely. It's an ideal line, particularly for the growing area of Watagan Park, where we have so many new families coming in and for commuters who are going through to the M1."

Mr Repacholi said it was important that Deaves Road be improved for future growth, not simply repaired.

"This is three levels of government working together as we should be in this area, as what matters most is that we can have motorists, families, and people getting between Cooranbong and Morisset home safely," Mr Repacholi said.

"This is a diversion as well when something happens on the M1.

"We need to make sure we're doing the best we can and that's why we're building back better."

The Lake Macquarie Local Strategic Planning Statement and the Hunter Regional Plan 2041 state that Morisset and nearby Wyee and Cooranbong are earmarked to be the fastest-growing areas in the Hunter over the next two decades.

It is forecast that by 2046 the area's population will grow from 18,093 people in 2021 to 32,322.

Mr Piper said the various levels of government needed to continue funding infrastructure upgrades to handle the projected growth.

"I don't see it slowing down anytime soon," Mr Piper said. "The demand is there."

While roads are important, Mr Piper said improved health services on the western side of Lake Macquarie should be a top priority.

"We really do need further investment, but one big area that is glaringly obviously missing in this area is health infrastructure," he said.