Inverell Shire Council has endorsed a $409,000 trial of a graded (Otta) bitumen seal on a 2.4โkilometre section of Elsmore Road, from the end of the existing bitumen to Wire Creek Bridge. The decision was formally approved at the March Council Meeting.
A graded bitumen seal is a sealing treatment designed to provide a durable wearing surface on roads that would otherwise remain unsealed, without requiring the extensive pavement reconstruction associated with a conventional sealed road. A graded seal is significantly cheaper to construct than a conventional bitumen seal because it avoids nearly all of the expensive pavementโstrengthening work that a traditional sealed road requires. A graded seal is applied after resheeting the existing unsealed road. This eliminates the need for stabilisation, major drainage works, significant pavement thickening, or extensive realignment. Construction time, material quantities, and plant requirements are all substantially reduced.
The trial responds to rising maintenance costs across the Shireโs 1,326 kilometres of unsealed roads. The Elsmore Road section selected for the trial has required frequent maintenance in recent years due to high traffic volumes and accelerated pavement wear.
The graded seal treatment aims to reduce longโterm maintenance costs while maintaining or improving road quality for local residents and road users. Once constructed, the trial section will be monitored over a 12โmonth period, with Councilโs engineering staff assessing:
– Maintenance cost reductions
– Surface condition and defect formation
– Ride quality and user comfort, including roughness measurements at set intervals
The project will be funded from the Special Roads Projects program, which has an available budget of $541,490 for 2025/2026. After allocating $409,000 to the Elsmore Road trial, $132,490 will remain for future works.
Mayor Cr Kate Dight said the trial reflects Councilโs commitment to responsible asset management and longโterm sustainability.
โOur unsealed road network is one of the largest in the State, and the cost of maintaining it continues to rise. This trial gives us the opportunity to explore a practical, costโeffective alternative that could ease the maintenance burden while improving the experience for road users. Elsmore Road is an ideal test case and the data we gather will help guide future decisions across the Shire.โ
Cr Dight added that the trial demonstrates Councilโs proactive approach to infrastructure challenges.
โWeโre focused on solutions that deliver value for money and better outcomes for our community. This is an important step in ensuring our road network remains safe, reliable and financially sustainable into the future.โ
Construction of the graded seal will commence following project planning and contractor scheduling.
The 12โmonth monitoring period will begin immediately after completion, with a report outlining the outcomes presented to Council at the conclusion of the monitoring period.
Media Release: Inverell Shire Council
