The Hume Highway will have a rest area near Mullengandra in 2017
Construction works have begun on a new truck stop on the Hume Highway, jointly funded by the New South Wales and federal governments.
Part of a $6.2 million project, the new Murlo rest area sits around 40km north of Albury, near Mullengandra, and will be able to house up to 20 B-Doubles.
The project will also have parking room for other vehicles and amenities for those who stop, New South Wales roads, maritime, and freight minister Duncan Gay says.
“The new rest area will have a separate parking area for light vehicles, with six standard parking bays and one disabled parking bay, ensuring all motorists benefit from this investment,” Gay says.
“There will also be an amenities block with picnic tables and landscaping throughout the site.”
Partly funded under the federal government’s Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Programme, federal transport and infrastructure minister Darren Chester says the new location will help tackle fatigue.
“The programme invests in improving road safety and reducing the number of truck-related incidents by targeting driver fatigue,” Chester says.
“This is just one example of the Australian Government investing in critical road infrastructure, in partnership with state, territory and local governments, to help save lives on the nation’s roads.”
Construction of the Murlo rest area will begin today and carry on through to mid-April, 2017.
Works will be paused over the Christmas and New Year break, from December 23 to January 9, meaning both lanes of the highway will be open during that time.