Work to upgrade a 5.8-kilometre section of the Newell Highway between Moree and Boggabilla has been completed several months ahead of schedule, delivering safer journeys for road users in the north of the state.
NSW Labor’s Northern Tablelands spokesperson Peter Primrose MLC says the $13.75 million project at North Croppa Creek, about 71 kilometres north of Moree had seen crews completely rehabilitate the road surface to improve pavement resilience and quality, as well as improve safety for all road users.
“The Newell Highway is a key regional route linking the north and south of NSW, carrying thousands of residents, tourists and freight operators every day, and the safety of the road is a priority for Transport for NSW,” said Mr Primrose.
“The work at North Croppa Creek features a rehabilitated road pavement, safety improvements including a one-metre-wide centre line, along with drainage upgrades and culvert extensions to enable the pavement widening.
“Three key intersections at Limebon Road, Karuah Road and Oaklea Road have been upgraded to provide safer access on and off the highway for the many freight operators and road trains accessing agricultural land.”
Mr Primrose says the upgraded Newell Highway would boost productivity for freight operators and safety for all road users, provide a stronger and longer lasting pavement, and reduce ongoing maintenance costs in the area.
“Road users travel long distances in regional NSW and important upgrades such as this help to ensure they make it safely to their destination,” he said.
“Fatigue, in particular, can be a major hazard on long stretches of highway and the safety improvements at North Croppa Creek such as the one-metre wide centre line and widened shoulders help to separate oncoming lanes of traffic and help prevent head-on crashes, meaning less likelihood of casualties due to a simple mistake behind the wheel.”
Despite flooding and a significant number of wet weather events impacting the project, Transport for NSW says work has been completed several months ahead of schedule after the project team increased resources to boost productivity and take advantage of favorable weather conditions around the region.
The upgrade work at North Croppa Creek builds on further upgrade work on the Newell Highway between Narrabri and Moree, delivering improved journeys on the Newell Highway all the way from Narrabri to the Queensland border.
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