Central Otago district councillors have approved a list of minor roading improvements to be made over the coming three years, although it includes only about 12% of the work that needs to be done.
A total of 165 projects were identified through long-term plan submissions and requests from community board members, councillors, engineers, contractors and the public.
They were prioritised primarily in order of safety risk and only an estimated 20 can be done over the next three years, because of funding constraints.
Council roading manager Julie Muir said the New Zealand Transport Agency had already indicated a drop in funding, so the council asked for $325,000 a year for each of the coming three years, down from the almost $500,000 it had received each year over the previous three years.
"If we had more money, we would get more jobs done, it's as simple as that."
The agency will sign off on final funding figures next month and will have to approve the list of improvements before any work can begin.
The money will form 60% of council's budget for minor improvement projects - projects classified as low cost or low risk, such as intersection improvements and traffic-calming measures.
The agency has also expanded the scope of projects to include improvements other than minor ones, provided they do not cost more than $250,000 each, so the council has been able to include two lower-ranked projects on the list, which could help save money in the long run.
One of those is flood protection, estimated to cost $86,000 for a section of Danseys Pass Rd that has been washed out three times in the past five years, cutting off access to the pass hotel.
Ms Muir said that while the agency did provide funding to fix the road, it was only enough to get it back to what it was before, with no improvements to avoid such problems in the future.
A similar issue, where flood waters threaten a house on Factory Rd in Waipiata, has also been included.
Water from the nearby creek has reached just below the floor level of the house three times in the past five years.
Over the coming year, five projects will be undertaken, including the flood protection work on Danseys Pass Rd and minor road and intersection alterations.
Next year, eight projects will include cycle lanes in Barry Ave in Cromwell and construction of a ford in Factory Rd.
Projects for the following year include intersection improvements and road widening.
