Riverina-Murray (incl. Wagga Wagga, Albury, Griffith)

Already delivered...

Roads

  • Built a new four lane road-over-rail bridge on the Olympic Highway at Kapooka. This includes realigning about 2.7km of the Olympic Highway and upgrading the Olympic Highway and Camp Access Road intersection. The upgrade has improved safety, removed traffic restrictions and provides future growth for the freight industry.
  • Progressing with stage 1 of Griffith’s Southern Heavy Vehicle Bypass, which will decrease heavy vehicle movement through the CBD, school zones, recreational, residential and commercial areas. This is helping to improve freight transport networks, reducing costs for businesses and making local roads safer.
  • Working with local councils to improve the conditions of major road connections between regional centres and major cities – like the Main Canal Road, a freight route linking the Kidman Way to the south, with the Sturt Highway to the north. We’re sealing the last remaining section of this unsealed road, saving drivers 30 to 40 minutes (or 35kms per route) when they travel along the Main Canal Road compared to alternative routes.
  • We’ve widened a section of the Sturt Highway west of Euston as well as a section of the Silver Highway at Popiltah, added overtaking lanes on the Newell Highway north of Finley, and have reconstructed various sections of the Sturt, Cobb, Newell, Riverina and Silver City highways to keep road surfaces safe and help minimise fatigue for drivers.
  • Reconstructed a section of the Hume Highway at Steam Engine Hill (south of Yass near Jugiong), widening road shoulders, installing safety barriers and smoothing the road surface to make it safer and help reduce fatigue for drivers.
  • Completed the rail siding extension at Hillston, helping improve grain movement, lower train operating costs and increase the share of export grain moved by rail, and make local roads safer.
  • Tackling accident blackspots at Griffith’s Kidman Way and Hanwood Rd intersection, and installing ‘clear zones’ on the Sturt Highway near Darlington Point’s Donald Ross Drive. We’ve also committed to upgrading the Yoogali Intersection, an important part of the state freight network and a notorious blackspot.
  • Realigned the Newell Highway at Grong Grong to improve freight efficiency and road safety, building a new two-lane 2.7km section as well as turning lanes at two main intersections to provide good access into the township.
  • Completing the second stage of the West Wyalong heavy vehicle alternative route, giving heavy vehicles travelling on the Newell Highway an alternative route to travelling through to centre of town. Once it’s finished in July 2018, the route will limit heavy vehicles in the CBD, making it safer for locals and quicker for truck drivers.


Delivering on the plan (future)

  • Contributing funding to Wagga Wagga City Council's project to replace Eunony Bridge in east Wagga Wagga. This will provide a new route which will reduce heavy vehicle traffic from the Wagga Wagga CBD, as well as save up to 36 minutes, or 21kms, on a round trip.
  • Contributing funding to Carrathool Shire Council to build a new bridge over the Murrumbidgee River at Carrathool, which will be complete in 2019. It will provide a wider 2 lane structure that will help improve freight movements.
  • Committed to building a second river crossing over the Murray River between Echuca and Moama, and will continue working closely with the Victorian and Australian governments to complete the project. This second bridge will provide an important link for local traffic and surrounding towns, and will cut travel times and get families home sooner.
  • Continuing the upgrade of the Gocup Road corridor, a significant freight route for the local timber industry which runs from the Snowy Mountains Highway at Tumut to the Hume Highway at Gundagai. By mid-2019, it will provide a vital link between the economic hubs of Sydney and Melbourne, and the local area, and we’re significantly improving road safety by widening the road, repairing the road surface, straightening curves and improving drainage.

Public transport

  • We’re currently trialling new coach services to give customers better connections to regional towns and cities. These include new services between Wagga Wagga and Canberra, and Wagga Wagga and Albury/Wodonga. This is to help regional communities connect to work, medical appointments and shops, as well as family and friends in surrounding regional areas.
  • We’re adding a new mid-week train service between Griffith and Sydney which is due to start operating in late 2019.
  • The ageing regional rail fleet will be replaced to improve the safety, comfort and reliability for customers who travel from Sydney to regional centres in NSW, as well as Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane. The new trains will come into service progressively from 2023.

Already delivered...

Roads

  • Built a new four lane road-over-rail bridge on the Olympic Highway at Kapooka. This includes realigning about 2.7km of the Olympic Highway and upgrading the Olympic Highway and Camp Access Road intersection. The upgrade has improved safety, removed traffic restrictions and provides future growth for the freight industry.
  • Progressing with stage 1 of Griffith’s Southern Heavy Vehicle Bypass, which will decrease heavy vehicle movement through the CBD, school zones, recreational, residential and commercial areas. This is helping to improve freight transport networks, reducing costs for businesses and making local roads safer.
  • Working with local councils to improve the conditions of major road connections between regional centres and major cities – like the Main Canal Road, a freight route linking the Kidman Way to the south, with the Sturt Highway to the north. We’re sealing the last remaining section of this unsealed road, saving drivers 30 to 40 minutes (or 35kms per route) when they travel along the Main Canal Road compared to alternative routes.
  • We’ve widened a section of the Sturt Highway west of Euston as well as a section of the Silver Highway at Popiltah, added overtaking lanes on the Newell Highway north of Finley, and have reconstructed various sections of the Sturt, Cobb, Newell, Riverina and Silver City highways to keep road surfaces safe and help minimise fatigue for drivers.
  • Reconstructed a section of the Hume Highway at Steam Engine Hill (south of Yass near Jugiong), widening road shoulders, installing safety barriers and smoothing the road surface to make it safer and help reduce fatigue for drivers.
  • Completed the rail siding extension at Hillston, helping improve grain movement, lower train operating costs and increase the share of export grain moved by rail, and make local roads safer.
  • Tackling accident blackspots at Griffith’s Kidman Way and Hanwood Rd intersection, and installing ‘clear zones’ on the Sturt Highway near Darlington Point’s Donald Ross Drive. We’ve also committed to upgrading the Yoogali Intersection, an important part of the state freight network and a notorious blackspot.
  • Realigned the Newell Highway at Grong Grong to improve freight efficiency and road safety, building a new two-lane 2.7km section as well as turning lanes at two main intersections to provide good access into the township.
  • Completing the second stage of the West Wyalong heavy vehicle alternative route, giving heavy vehicles travelling on the Newell Highway an alternative route to travelling through to centre of town. Once it’s finished in July 2018, the route will limit heavy vehicles in the CBD, making it safer for locals and quicker for truck drivers.


Delivering on the plan (future)

  • Contributing funding to Wagga Wagga City Council's project to replace Eunony Bridge in east Wagga Wagga. This will provide a new route which will reduce heavy vehicle traffic from the Wagga Wagga CBD, as well as save up to 36 minutes, or 21kms, on a round trip.
  • Contributing funding to Carrathool Shire Council to build a new bridge over the Murrumbidgee River at Carrathool, which will be complete in 2019. It will provide a wider 2 lane structure that will help improve freight movements.
  • Committed to building a second river crossing over the Murray River between Echuca and Moama, and will continue working closely with the Victorian and Australian governments to complete the project. This second bridge will provide an important link for local traffic and surrounding towns, and will cut travel times and get families home sooner.
  • Continuing the upgrade of the Gocup Road corridor, a significant freight route for the local timber industry which runs from the Snowy Mountains Highway at Tumut to the Hume Highway at Gundagai. By mid-2019, it will provide a vital link between the economic hubs of Sydney and Melbourne, and the local area, and we’re significantly improving road safety by widening the road, repairing the road surface, straightening curves and improving drainage.

Public transport

  • We’re currently trialling new coach services to give customers better connections to regional towns and cities. These include new services between Wagga Wagga and Canberra, and Wagga Wagga and Albury/Wodonga. This is to help regional communities connect to work, medical appointments and shops, as well as family and friends in surrounding regional areas.
  • We’re adding a new mid-week train service between Griffith and Sydney which is due to start operating in late 2019.
  • The ageing regional rail fleet will be replaced to improve the safety, comfort and reliability for customers who travel from Sydney to regional centres in NSW, as well as Canberra, Melbourne and Brisbane. The new trains will come into service progressively from 2023.

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Page last updated: 29 Apr 2019, 12:00 PM