Road surface improvements along a 2.7km section of Kempsey Road are the latest stage of an extensive upgrade delivering a new gravel surface along the section near Jeogla Station, where traffic has seriously eroded the road surface.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In May, the Oakey River stage, involving widening, alignment improvement and extended sight distance extensions, was completed, and work began on the 2.3km section of the road between Oakey River Dam and Oakey Bridge in July. It was sealed using gravel sourced from the previous stage.
Armidale Regional Council Mayor Simon Murray was impressed with the work carried out to date, but said the planned upgrades would take about three years to complete, and did need to have its status upgraded from a regional road to a State road, to bring it in line with the portion in Kempsey Shire.
ALSO READ:
"There are two things happening here," Cr Murray said.
"They're using the gravel from the last section to resheet the area around Jeogla, and then they're starting the surveying for the Big Hill.
"It has been a long time coming for the people who use that road on a regular basis. People are going to see an improvement in that road, it won't happen at once, it's going to be a slow process, but hopefully at the end of three years it will be significantly better than what it has been."
Cr Murray said another eight stages were planned with work scheduled between early 2020 and April 2022, and planning was well underway for sections known as White Bluff, the Slips and the top of the Big Hill.
"The completed section is a great example of how each stage will enhance safety for road users, particularly the stock trucks and other heavy vehicles that use Kempsey Road," Councillor Murray said.
Funding for the Oakey River stage came from Federal Government grants of $500,000 from the Drought Communities Program and $212,000 from the Stronger Regions Fund, and $440,000 through the State Government's Fixing Country Roads program.
An additional $4.6 million grant from the NSW Fixing Country Roads program will be used for the remaining stages.
