Legislation has passed in the Senate to continue funding for the Roads to Recovery scheme to 2019, but it has received a mixed reaction from local government bodies.

The President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) Mayor Felicity-Ann Lewis has welcomed the extension, but has called for the funding to be made permanent to avoid a repeat of the drawn-out debate that put projects at risk this year.

The Roads to Recovery funding legislation was hamstrung by an extended debate of the Land Transport Infrastructure Amendment Bill 2014, after it originally passed the House of Representatives on March 27.

It meant that many projects were without funding from the end of June this year, and no new approvals could be made.

Despite assurances from the Government, the Opposition, the Greens and the Palmer United Party that the R2R funds would not be touched, political bickering on totally unrelated issues in the same bill still stymied progress.

$350 million has now been committed to R2R per year until 2019, with a doubling of funds for 2015-16.

Cr Lewis has welcomed the renewal, but said it could have come sooner.

President of the South Australian LGA, Mayor David O'Loughlin said councils would be able to breathe easier with the news, and backed the ALGA’s call for the funding to be set in stone.

“R2R funding has been caught up in the political argy bargy since the Land Transport Infrastructure Amendment Bill 2014 was passed ,” Cr O’Loughlin said.

“That has meant months of uncertainty for Australian Councils... and the loss of income from the Federal Government's decision to freeze interest on Financial Assistance Grants payments.”

“The only way to prevent a repeat of this situation is to make the program permanent. We will be working with the Australian Local Government Association to lobby the Federal Government to have them recognise it has worked extremely well and has been welcomed by local communities and it is therefore time to lock in a permanent Road to Recovery program,” he said.