The history of roads constructed and maintained by local authorities began with the introduction of the Municipalities Act in New South Wales in 1858 which made provision for the establishment of cities, municipalities and rural districts with the power to "control and maintain all public roads, bridges and ferries other than those covered by the Main Roads Management Act" of the same year. This paper follows the course of the evolution of local authority roads since 1858 and includes reference to equipment and methodology as well as exploring the future potential of the industry.
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