The recent heavy rain and flooding have had a severe impact on Warrumbungle Shire’s road network.

While Council is still determining the exact cost of the repair work, they said it will be in the millions of dollars and could take up to two years to complete.

A Council spokesperson said the damage wasn’t limited to certain sections, instead said there was Shire-wide destruction - particularly to the unsealed road networks.

The spokesperson said the first priority was to make the roads safe and accessible for all residents, but the continued intermittent rain was delaying some of the work.

They also had district farmers in mind when it came to prioritising work.

“Council is asking residents to be patient as we inspect the roads for damage,” the spokesperson said.

“Staff have already completed many temporary repairs, but some are being delayed while we wait for the road to dry out a bit.

“We know that many farmers still have a viable crop that they want to get to market and Council is working to get the key harvest- freight roads accessible for B-doubles, road trains and other harvest vehicles open and suitable for heavy vehicles.”

The spokesperson said over the next three-month period crews will continue to carry out emergency and immediate repairs.

“Manyoftheserepairs will only be temporary to get the network operating again,” the spokesperson said.

“Once this work is completed Council will commence restoring the roads and bridges to their previous condition and this work could take two years to complete.”

The restoration works will include the replacement of numerous damaged culverts and causeways, replacing the gravel of unsealed roads, heavy patching of sealed roads and, in some cases, a full reconstruction of a road segment.

Following the recent floods and subsequent damage, Warrumbungle Shire Council has been included in the Natural Disaster Declaration.

Council has engaged a business that specialises in disaster recovery to assist with preparing the claim to the NSW Government for financial assistance.

Inspectors will be out on local rural roads next week collecting evidence and assessing the damage.