Safer journeys are on the way across Eden-Monaro, with four projects rolling out under the latest round of the Australian and NSW Governments’ accelerated Fixing Local Roads program to improve local roads and create thousands of local jobs in the regions.
Senator for New South Wales Jim Molan said the latest round of Fixing Local Roads funding would help local councils tackle the increasing amount of work required to provide safe roads for their communities, like repairing, patching, maintaining and sealing.
“The $243.6 million first round of the program last year is delivering four projects across the [REGION], and now we’re building on that with a further $150 million in round two,” Senator Molan said.
“Safe, reliable roads are essential infrastructure for communities in the bush, so it’s great that the Federal Government has turbocharged the NSW Government’s $500 million Fixing Local Roads program by committing $191 million last year.”
NSW Deputy Premier and Member for Monaro John Barilaro said the funding will help address the need for upgrades to roads in the region and ease the burden of maintenance for local councils.
“Since being elected as Member for Monaro, I have fought hard to ensure that our region gets its fair share of funding to improve our roads,” Mr Barilaro said.
“This funding will help deliver improvements to a number of key roads across the Monaro, including Avonside Road at Jindabyne, Maffra Road near Cooma and Majors Creek Road in the Queanbeyan-Palerang area.
“I’m thrilled to be part of the team that is delivering this record funding for roads and transport in regional NSW. Regardless of where you live, every road user deserves a safe passage.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said Round 2 of the Fixing Local Roads Program would fund more than 100 new road upgrades across the State, creating more than 1000 jobs.
“Safe, reliable roads are essential for communities in regional New South Wales – by improving roads, we are making a big difference to people’s lives in ensuring they get home sooner and safer,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.
“The funding will improve the safety of roads in local communities, including repairing, patching, maintaining and sealing local roads.
“We know improved roads are crucial to regional communities – the more than 100 successful road projects announced today will play a big role in helping residents and businesses recover from the effects of bushfires, drought, floods and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Member for Bega Andrew Constance said that the $1.9 million in funding for sealing works on Kameruka Lane will be welcomed by local residents.
Kameruka Lane is a well-used local link road and I am pleased to see the works are now funded and Bega Valley Shire Council are able to get on with the project,” Mr Constance said.
State Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the $191 million Australian Government funding commitment in June last year was on top of the $500 million from the NSW Government, building upon the vision for a safer, stronger regional NSW.
“We’re injecting even more funding into the roads in the bush that communities depend on, which means a safer and smoother journey for everyone,” Mr Toole said.
“Better maintained roads mean safer trips to school, to work and to the shops – and the NSW Government is committed to helping councils to create and support jobs, drive productivity and keep our regional communities connected.
“Big infrastructure projects might create a lot of headlines but these are small projects that make a big difference in people’s everyday lives.”
Round 1 of the Fixing Local Roads Program saw $243.6 million of joint funding allocated to 253 projects in 83 Local Government Areas, and Round 2 will see $150 million allocated to more than 100 road projects in 90 Local Government Areas.
All successful projects will be completed within two years to ensure local communities see the benefits as quickly as possible.
Applications for Round 2 of the program were open from 2 November until 11 December 2020.
Guidelines and a factsheet for Round 2 of Fixing Local Roads can be found here for the Fixing Local Roads Program.
Projects in Eden-Monaro
| Council Name | Project Title Revised | Total FLR Funding Sought |
| Bega Valley Shire Council | Kameruka Lane – Seal Upgrade | $ 1,942,005 |
| Snowy Monaro Regional Council | Avonside Rd & Maffra Road – Rehabilitation | $ 4,322,265 |
| Yass Valley Council | Local Roads – Resealing | $ 2,285,500 |
| Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council | Majors Creek Road Rehabilitation | $ 2,062,500 |