Mayor John Dal Broi said repairing and improving Griffith’s roads is a priority for council because the community deserves the roads to be in a good and safe condition.

"I want the community to know we haven't forgotten them and we are fully aware of the issue. Going forward we hope to divert additional funds into the road maintenance system," he said.

“Causing a delay in repairs is all the water - some areas have proper drainage but some areas have to rely on the water receding or evaporating. Staff are monitoring and doing their patrols and draining where they can."

Director of infrastructure and operations Phil King, said once the water recedes council will assess the damage and put a maintenance plan into place to ensure repairs are done properly.

“Council is currently inspecting all of our Mirrool Creek crossings on a daily basis, to check both the depth of the water over the roads as well as the signage and traffic controls remain in place,” Mr King said. 

“What the public may not be aware of is that council staff have been inspecting and been called out at all hours of the night to respond to water over the road as it has been reported.”

Mr King said the amount of rain in recent months has hindered council’s ability to properly assess the damage and begin repairs, however it may allow for further improvements to Griffith’s road and drainage networks.

“The wet weather we are now experiencing is unprecedented for September and the number of wet days since June is also reaching record numbers. The total rainfall for May to September is 456mm already exceeding the annual average,” he said.  

“In short, we've had a lot of rain and our roads are suffering from being wet for so long. We will continue to patch where we can and if there is a silver lining it is the opportunity to see where drainage improvements can be forecast in future works programs.”