Roadworks General Information

The City of Hobart works hard to ensure that our roads are safe and well maintained for motorists and other road users.

Please find below general information about roadworks, and answers to common questions.

The City will close local roads for the purposes of conducting special events or to facilitate construction activities. You can find a list of these closures on the temporary road closures page.

Why do you need to carry out roadworks?

When a road needs a lot of maintenance or is starting to become dangerous to motorists, we need to undertake roadworks.

While we can keep patching a road, at some point it will make more sense to replace the road instead of continuing to repair it.

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions(PDF, 137KB) for more information.

Why does it take so long?

We would love to get the job done immediately, however often that isn't possible.

During roadworks we still need to allow people to access homes or businesses. To avoid traffic jams we often won't undertake work during peak time in the morning and the evening. Wherever possible, we will also keep at least part of the road open to traffic. Allowing access and keeping the traffic flowing unfortunately slows down our works.

There are potentially life-threatening services under the road such as gas mains, electrical lines and water mains. In most cases the owners of those services don't know exactly where or how deep they are. When we dig we need to go carefully so we don't damage the services and potentially cause harm to our workers or the public.

All of the above issues (and more) mean that roadworks take time to complete.

We will always complete projects as quickly as possible, however we won't compromise on safety or the quality of work.

Why can't you do the works at night?

Sometimes we work at night. However as most roads in Hobart are near homes or hotels, we often can't work overnight as it may keep people awake.

Why do you leave containers on the street?

The containers often left in the street contain our tools, and are also a location where our workers can do their paperwork and have lunch.

Why don't you use contractors?

We often do use contractors. To get through all of the works, we use a mixture of our own workforce and contractors.

Regardless of who undertakes the project, all workers need to work in a way that is safe.

Where do I go if I have a complaint?

In the first instance please contact the officer identified in the project communications. Every effort will be made to rectify your concerns.

Any unresolved complaints should be sent to the

Chief Executive Officer, GPO Box 503 Hobart 7001, or via email coh@hobartcity.com.au. Please include your name, address, contact telephone number and description of the issue.

We appreciate your patience during the works.