VOLUNTEERS at Marine Rescue Lake Macquarie will have one less hurdle to navigate as the state government kicks in more than $636,000 to fix the access road to the base.
Every minute counts in an emergency, and unit commander Jim Wright said a new road will be a big improvement.
"Currently it's a big dirt road, every time it rains there are potholes, it's not safe to go along and there are blind corners," he said.
"When it gets wet we end up with more potholes than the local golf course."
It's one of the busiest bases in the state, handling more than 24,000 calls in 2021 to 2022 and performing 568 rescue missions.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Taylor Martin said sealing the 750-metre road will provide safe and reliable access to volunteers and the community.
"We want to ensure Marine Rescue volunteers have immediate, 24/7 access to their Lake Macquarie operations base to help them keep the Hunter boating community safe on the water," he said.
The investment follows the official opening of the $1.8 million Marine Rescue Search and Rescue Coordination Centre at Swansea Heads in 2020.
Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser said the council would manage the upgraded access road and adjoining Crown reserve.
"This funding will allow council to seal the road and then as Crown Land Manager ensure we can keep it in good condition into the future," she said.
The road extends to the Marine Rescue base from Waratah Street and gets impacted in heavy rain.
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