Transport minister approves funding for planning work to begin on upgrades to New England Highway and construction of Tenterfield bypass
March 12, 2012
Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese has given the go ahead for planning work to begin on upgrades to the New England Highway and a future Tenterfield bypass.
Albanese says he has approved payments set aside in last year’s Federal Budget for work on the highway around Bolivia Hill. He expects the NSW Roads and Maritime Services to begin the work by the middle of this year.
He says the $6 million in planning works take into account future transport needs while also meeting immediate infrastructure concerns.
“A bypass of Tenterfield has the potential to take 600 trucks a day off local streets with the planning work and associated community consultations aimed at identifying a preferred route, obtaining accurate costings and establishing a realistic construction timetable,” Albanese says.
“With respect to the New England Highway around Bolivia Hill, the planning work we’re commissioning will identify options for improving safety along this particularly notorious stretch of road. Indeed, over the past decade it has been the scene of thirteen crashes, including four fatalities.”
Albanese says funding to begin construction of both projects will need to come out of future budgets once the planning work is completed.