Port Stephens Council to start work in this financial year but Swan Bay resident Brian Harris said it's not enough

He’s called Swan Bay home for 30 years and has come across 15 accidents in that time and fears a crash involving school children is a strong likelihood.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen, particularly with school buses picking up and setting down students here,” he said.

“I don’t care who is elected, I will be on them until this is fixed.”

The council said the first project will involve widening the sealed section at the start of Swan Bay Road.

“The road already has wide unsealed shoulders so the cost to widen the seal is lower at approximately $260,000 for 800 metres,” the council’s assets section manager John Maretich said.

The second project will extend the sealed road with the $500,000 set aside from a $6 million loan the council authorised earlier this year.

Mr Maretich said the focus of these works would be on two odd-shaped curves.

“Council has already started the preliminary design and surveying to realign these curves and improve road safety,” he said.

Labor candidates in the election including Des Maslen, Bobbie Antonic and Giacomo Arnott recently met with residents to hear their concerns.

They left concerned that the $500,000 commitment would only fix about 500 metres of road.

“This will be one of the main priorities of the Labor team on council. We will seek advice from council staff immediately as to where in the forward works the sealing of these roads is, how much money has been planned for it, and what reviews have been done around safety,” Mr Arnott said.

Mr Maretich said residents’ hopes for further upgrades in the immediate future would depend on external funding.

“With council funds, our focus is maintaining the assets we currently have over building new assets. Hence, our capital works program does not identify the sealing of any gravel roads,” he said.

“Most projects require external grant funding from the state government and the type of grant determines where the money is spent.”

Mr Maretich would neither confirm or deny that sealing the roads would cost $1 million per kilometre.

“The cost of sealing a road varies greatly depending on many factors, including the quality of the existing subgrade material, whether drainage is required, if utilities need to be moved and environmental reviews,” he said.

“We are aware of the issues… but works are prioritised according to risk, safety, condition of the road and budget constraints.”