Record road spend is welcome news

The record $4 billion state budget commitment to NSW roads represents an 11 per cent, or $400 million, increase in funding and should result in safer and less congested roads.

There’s still a long way to go to deliver the road network NSW motorists deserve, but the increase represents another win off the back of a lot of hard work by NRMA.

We’re particularly pleased that regional and rural communities received the lion’s share, after they were practically ignored in May’s federal budget.

Motorists should be particularly pleased about:

• $144 million for the  Princes Highway
• $23.4 million jointly-funded with the Federal Government  to upgrade the Great Western Highway around the Blue Mountains
• $30 million jointly-funded with the Federal Government to complete the Bonville bypass on the Pacific Highway
• $40 million to begin the Victoria Road upgrade
• $30 million jointly-funded with the Federal Government for the widening of the F3.

The funding increase will help address some long overdue trouble spots such as the bottleneck on the Great Western Highway and the congestion plaguing Victoria Road.

However, we are concerned about the government’s failure to fund the much-needed F6 Extension, and also that a target date of 2016 to upgrade the Pacific Highway will no longer be met.

Alan Evans President