Why Australian drivers are being warned to brace for even more potholes on our roads

Published: 03:36, 15 June 2026 | Updated: 03:40, 15 June 2026 Aussie drivers are being warned to be on alert for more potholes as the impact of the Iran war continues to bite. Skyrocketing bitumen prices caused by Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz are being blamed for the grim prediction. The price of bitumen, which holds asphalt together, has soared, rising by about $500 per tonne since the Middle East crisis began, the Australian Financial Review reports. The majority of Australia's bitumen imports come from key refineries in Singapore, South Korea and Thailand, which source most of their crude oil from the Middle East via the Strait. However, the war has forced Australia to find alternative supplies, leaving the road construction industry vulnerable to disruption and potentially reliant on a lower standard of bitumen. Chief executive of the National Transport Research Organisation, Michael Caltabiano, warned that lower road quality would not only impact road conditions but household budgets too. 'The rougher the roads, the more expensive it is to transport your goods and services. The bigger economic-wide implications are poorer quality roads equals higher costs at the supermarket shelves,' he said. Tony Aloisio, from the Australian Flexible Pavement Association, estimated the cost of road repairs was now around 20 to 30 per cent higher due to the war. Aussie drivers are being warned to be on alert for more potholes as a result of the Iran war The war has forced Australia to find alternative supplies, making the road construction industry vulnerable to disruption and potentially reliant on a lower standard of bitumen Should the government step in to fix our roads or are we doomed to pay more for bad conditions? What's your view?'The only way you won't get potholes is to have the road seal… 80 percent of Australia's road network is a bitumen seal over rock or gravel,' he said. 'If we don't get enough bitumen, then the pothole situation will get worse.' On Sunday night (US time), Donald Trump announced that a deal had been made to end the war and reopen the Strait.  However, it may take months for oil prices to stabilise. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.