Tag Archives: pacific highway

Increased funding in this week’s state budget for Pacific Highway upgrades has been welcomed on the mid north coast. Pacific Highway Taskforce Chairman, Richie Williamson, says the increased spending of $147-million is good news for the region.

The proposed upgrade of the Pacific Highway between Coffs Harbour and Woolgoolga has received the final seal of approval. The project includes 25 kilometres of dual carriageway, as well as overpasses and underpasses at five locations between Sapphire and Arrawarra Beach. The improvement works are part of a $2.6-billion federal government investment in the Pacific Highway. Construction is expected to begin early next year.

Massive budget cuts on the Northern Rivers has seen the Tintenbar-Ewingsdale Pacific Highway upgrade delayed indefinitely. $245-million of promised funding for the Far North Coast section of the highway, including Banora Point has been cancelled. The decision to defer New South Wales’s contributions to the jointly funded project has outraged motorists and residents alike. The road has claimed four lives in less than a month on the Northern Rivers this year.

The drive along the Pacific Highway at Kariong could soon be more tolerable, with the preferred option for the upgrade of the stretch put on public display. Road users are now being urged to have their say.

Road safety improvements on two busy Pacific Highway intersections north of Coffs Harbour are set to begin this week. Works on the Arrawarra and Mullaway intersections are designed to provide greater separation of northbound and southbound traffic. The road surfaces will be upgraded and wire safety barriers will be installed on the shoulders of the new raised road formation. The $800,000 program is scheduled for completion in mid October.