Narrandera Shire Council delegate Cr Peter Dawson believes that the council must continue its representation on the Newell Highway Taskforce or the northern end of the highway will continue to be upgraded and very little done at the southern end.
However he said it was evident that most of the works along the Newell Highway were being carried out in the northern section and very little in the Southern.
Cr Dawson represented Council at the recent meeting.
Sam Knight, Director Southern Region at Transport for NSW (TfNSW), spoke on:
- Gillenbah flooding.
- Burley Griffin Way Ardlethan intersection.
- Jerilderie and Conargo Road.
- Kidman Way and Newell Highway turn off.
- Guard rails being too close to edge of roads.
- Heavy Vehicle Data Cameras provide strategic vision for councils.
- Newell Highway promotion booklet which is on the Newell Highway website.
“While there were no resolutions as the session was just discussion, Narrandera Council needs to keep being present and raising concerns at each meeting,” Cr Dawson said.
Cr Ken Keith of Parkes Shire Council stepped down as Chairperson of the Taskforce after 15 years of service. The new Chairperson Cr Chris Roylance of Forbes Shire Council, who was elected unopposed.
Deputy Chairperson is Cr Tony Lord of Bland Shire Council.
Key points from the meeting included:
Catherine King (Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government) revealed that there had been no cutbacks to Newell Highway funding, however costs had escalated and funding had not kept up with actual costs.
Ms King announced that the Government was doubling its commitment to the Roads to Recovery budget and increasing Black Spot funding from $110M to $150M even though it usually underspent on this budget.
The Federal and NSW Governments committed to flood mitigation works on the Newell Highway between West Wyalong and Forbes. Based on comprehensive flood studies, transport is proposing to prioritise around 11km of flood mitigation treatments at Marsden as this will significantly reduce the length of time the highway is closed during and after any future flood events.
Proposed treatments include installing box culverts to allow water to pass freely under the highway, raising the road level and laying a more robust pavement that would remain open to traffic for longer during flood events. Total cost of this work is $147M.
A total of 32 interfaces with NSW State and Regional roads exist along the inland rail corridor.
Twenty-two identified sites are being investigated and prioritised in order of development and construction.
The first of six sites for development are:
- Harris Gates (Olympic Hwy near Illabo)
- Tichborne (Newell Hwy near Parkes)
- Castlereagh Hwy (near Curban)
- Tomingley road (near Narromine)
- Eumungerie road (near Narromine)
- Oxley Highway (near Collie)
As of November 2023, the Newell Highway program alliance had delivered 38 overtaking lanes, 18 north and 20 south.
The new overtaking lanes are expected to provide around 33 minutes of travel time savings along the length of the Newell Highway from the Victorian border to the Queensland border.
This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 4 April 2024.
