When Armidale Regional Council received $1.3 million for roadwork from three grant allocations from Federal and State Governments it was something for council CEO Susan Law to be pleased about, however, her mood lifted when council's discussions about the upkeep of Kempsey Road with the Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce, seemed to bear fruit on Tuesday.
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Armidale has already submitted a joint application with Kempsey Shire Council worth more than $16 million for improvements to the road, with Armidale's share of that grant, if approved, being $11 million.
We've got to start somewhere to push an agenda forward.
- Barnaby Joyce
Mrs Law said to make real improvements such as widening and resealing would cost tens of millions of dollars.
"Ideally, we would like much more for the that road, to make it a more accessible east-west connection," Mrs Law said.
Barnaby Joyce wants just that.
It would be part of his overall plan to have more efficient links east to west match up with the large expenditure on the New England Highway running north to south.
"In Armidale, I held discussions with the council on the issue of an upgrade of the Wollomombi - Kempsey Road," he said.
"It's going to be tens of millions of dollars, but the first tranche if we can finally get it approved through Minister McKenzie's office, and I think we obviously will because it hasn't been announced yet, will allow us the first steps towards this process.
"I also acknowledge that through Minister Melinda Pavey the State Government also has an investment in this upgrade as well."
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Mr Joyce said the upgrade would sit on the back of the tens of millions that will be spent on The Bucketts Way and Thunderbolt's Way, from both Federal and State Governments, and ultimately drive other upgrades - the Legume to Woodenbong Road and further expenditure on Scone to the coast.
"I'm fighting to get the east - west corridors," he said.
"If you don't get the first half a million dollars in there it makes it harder to follow up. Once you start a project you can always use that as a point of leverage, that's all we did with Legume in the north and we've spent tens of millions of dollars on it now."
