The latest Fixing Country Roads funding round will fund $2.5 million worth of projects across the Byron Shire.

The funding will rebuild five bridges in the Shire:

  • Scarrabelottis
  • James
  • Booyong
  • O’Meara’s
  • Parkers

The project, co-funded with a federal contribution, will see the installation of five former Australian Defence Force steel bridges with the existing timber bridges to be dismantled. This will increase the load limit to 44 tonnes on each of the five bridges.

The funding will also provide much-needed maintenance work to be completed on landscaping the sites including the clearing of vegetation, slope stabilization and the relocation of power infrastructure.

Parliamentary Secretary for Renewable Energy and Northern NSW said this investment would significantly reduce costs to business and industry, while driving economic growth and improving the lives of people across the state.

“The upgrade will reduce travel time by an average of 10 minutes for heavy vehicles who have previously had to take longer routes,” Mr Franklin said.

“Economic growth in rural areas relies on agricultural commodities, industrial products and natural resources being able to move to market efficiently.”

Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight Melinda Pavey, said that safe and reliable roads are essential to maintaining our standard of living and will continue to be a priority for the NSW Government.

“Regional NSW produces around 210 million tonnes of freight a year, with freight volume expected to increase by 25 per cent over the next 40 years,” Mrs Pavey said.

The Fixing Country Road program complements the Fixing Country Rail initiative, with both focusing on improving freight infrastructure and efficiency across the state.

The NSW Government has set aside more than $1 billion for regional road and rail projects under its Fixing Country Roads, Fixing Country Rail and Bridges for the Bush programs.