The New South Wales Government is investing $10 million in road upgrades for the far west of the state, which will benefit residents and businesses in the Cobar and Unincorporated areas.
The upgrades are making outback roads safer, improving travel times for motorists, and ensuring more people can stay on the road and get to where they need to go when there is wet weather.
New South Wales Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison, took a trip into the outback to inspect projects funded through the Fixing Local Roads Program.
One of the projects completed by Cobar Shire Council is the upgrade of Wilga Downs Road which received almost $2.8 million from the State Government and almost $250,000 from council.
The sealing of nearly 14km of the road, construction of a causeway and stabilising of causeways means local industries, families and medical services now have all-weather access on an important route between the Cobar and Bourke Shires.
Another key far west road upgrade is also complete, with $2.75 million invested in improving the Cameron Corner Road, which straddles the border of New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia.
Transport for NSW delivered the works realigning two curves, rehabilitating the road, improving drainage, installing gravel overlay and sealing 2km of road.
Crews who delivered Cameron Corner Road upgrade are now working on two other local road improvements worth around $4.2 million and which will reduce the threat of erosion during storm events and improve wet weather resilience.
Southwest of Broken Hill, off the Silver City Highway, work on Netley Road is scheduled to begin in September 2024 to upgrade causeways by stabilising pavements and extending sealed sections.
At Bootra Road, northeast of Broken Hill near Packsaddle, work will deliver 3km of formation improvements and gravel resheeting to help reduce the need for road closures.
Each project is expected to take around three months to complete, weather permitting.
New South Wales Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison, said that these four local road projects, totalling around $10 million of State Government investment, are critical resilience boosting measures for the road network in the far west.
“Better road surfaces and enhanced safety will be welcomed not only by local residents, emergency services and the mining and farming industries, but also by tourists who enjoy visiting the outback and have not often driven on gravel roads,” Minister Aitchison said.
“Safer, more resilient roads are vital to the mining, pastoral and cropping industries. To give an example of just how vital these roads are, in some cases they are the only access point for pastoral stations and are therefore critical for the families who live and work there to get to school, medical appointments and to get their goods to and from market.”
Cobar Shire Council Mayor, Jarrod Marsden, said that Council is delighted to have completed the important upgrade to Wilga Downs Road.
“Prior to the sealing work this route was closed 15 days per year on average due to rain, with washed out shoulders, forcing speed restrictions to be put in place,” Mayor Marsden said.
“Every time the road was impassable, it would add around an hour of extra travel time which impacted community members in many ways including missed medical appointments and children not being able to get to school.
“The Shire’s prosperity is built around the mining industry of copper, lead, silver, zinc and gold, as well as pastoral and cropping enterprises. Having access on this road during all weather events will help provide these industries with safe, reliable transport routes.
“The project to upgrade Wilga Downs Road has also provided a local economic boost with more than 1,100 hours of work involved.”
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