More jobs, better roads for the Riverina and Central West

Safer journeys are on the way in the Riverina and Central West with projects rolling out under the latest round of the Australian and NSW Governments’ accelerated Fixing Local Roads program.

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development and Member for Riverina Michael McCormack said Dobney Avenue and Pearson Street in Wagga Wagga would be rehabilitated and Prichard Place in Lockhart would be sealed, helping local councils tackle the increasing amount of work required to provide safe roads for their communities.

“More than $20 million is being delivered to the 12 councils in the Riverina electorate,” Mr McCormack said.

“Safe reliable roads are essential infrastructure for communities in regional New South Wales – by improving roads, we are making a big difference to people’s lives in ensuring they get home sooner and safer.”

“We know improved roads are crucial to regional communities – the 16 successful road projects across the Riverina and Central West receiving $20,084,287 in funding from the NSW and Federal Governments, will play a big role in helping residents and businesses recover from the effects of bushfires, drought, floods and the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Member of the NSW Legislative Council Wes Fang said the road upgrades would benefit thousands of residents.

“This is funding for smaller projects that will make a big difference in people’s lives as they travel to and from work, school or the shops.

“Not only will this get people where they need to go sooner and safer, it will also create much needed jobs in our community.”

State Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the $10 million injection in to local economies in the Cootamundra electorate was a welcome boost.

“This is a huge investment in to improving the safety of our local roads and in to getting our local economies back on track,” Ms Cooke said.

“As someone who clocks up thousands of kilometres each month on the Cootamundra electorate’s roads I know there is a huge need for this work to ensure every motorist gets home safely.”

“This is a great partnership between the NSW and Commonwealth Governments and I am so pleased we are seeing this support for our communities.”

NSW Upper House MP, Sam Farraway said that it was great to be able to work with the Federal Government to deliver these vital upgrades to local roads.

“NSW has a road network of more than 180,000 kilometres in length, and nearly 80 per cent is classified as local roads, so it is a real challenge for councils to effectively manage and maintain their road assets,” Mr Farraway said.

“This program won’t just ease the burden of maintenance for local councils, but it will deliver safer, more reliable journeys for all local road users.”

State Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the $191 million Australian Government funding commitment in June last year was on top of the $500 million from the NSW Government, building upon the vision for a safer, stronger regional NSW.

“We’re injecting even more funding into the roads in the bush that communities depend on, which means a safer and smoother journey for everyone,” Mr Toole said.

“Better maintained roads mean safer trips to school, to work and to the shops – and the NSW Government is committed to helping councils to create and support jobs, drive productivity and keep our regional communities connected.

“Big infrastructure projects might create a lot of headlines but these are small projects that make a big difference in people’s everyday lives.”

Round 1 of the Fixing Local Roads Program saw $243.6 million of joint funding allocated to 253 projects in 83 Local Government Areas, and Round 2 will see $150 million allocated to more than 100 road projects in 90 Local Government Areas.

All successful projects will be completed within two years to ensure local communities see the benefits as quickly as possible.

Applications for Round 2 of the program were open from 2 November until 11 December 2020.

Guidelines and a factsheet for Round 2 of Fixing Local Roads can be found here for the Fixing Local Roads Program.