VIEW ORIGINAL TEXT BY ANDREW MANGELSDORF, THE DAILY ADVERTISER
As a councillor, I’m thrilled to share the exciting news about our ongoing efforts to tackle Wagga’s persistent pothole problem. This week, Wagga City Council launched a trial of the JCB Pothole Pro, a state-of-the-art road fixing machine, to see if it can provide a viable solution to our city’s road repair needs.
The Pothole Pro arrived in town on Monday, courtesy of a Wollongong-based company, and we wasted no time putting it to work in Ashmont. It was great to finally welcome this advanced equipment to Wagga.
The machine is currently hard at work on Tobruk Street in Ashmont, where it is scheduled to fix well over 100 potholes over the course of two days. Afterward, we plan to trial it on Vincent Road, Lake Albert.
Last year, I passionately advocated for this trial because the Pothole Pro can perform the work of three separate machines, significantly streamlining the repair process. Currently, our pothole repairs require multiple machines, but the Pothole Pro is designed to handle all these tasks in one go. However, it’s important to note that while the machine is highly efficient, it can’t do everything by itself. The potholes will still need to be filled manually. The Pothole Pro excels at handling straight runs and small potholes.
Despite its primary design for smaller tasks, the machine was also fixing some larger potholes on Monday. While it can manage bigger holes, the Pothole Pro isn’t specifically designed for that purpose.
So far, I’m impressed with the machine’s performance. It appears to be quite efficient at the job, but I will reserve my final judgment until the week-long trial concludes. The council will then produce a report, and the trial will be evaluated as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
I’m hopeful that this trial will be successful, and if it is, Wagga City Council might consider acquiring one of these machines permanently. This addition would significantly assist in our ongoing efforts to manage the ever-increasing pothole problem in our city.
Stay tuned for more updates on this innovative trial and our ongoing efforts to improve Wagga’s roads.
