Regional and rural councils will be eligible for a share of over $700 million for road repairs, under a new funding commitment from the State Government.
The announcement comes ahead of the NSW Budget which is being handed down on Tuesday and will see $390 million be put on the table for the Regional Emergency Road Repair Fund and another $334 million Regional Roads Fund for councils to build new roads and roundabouts, replace or repair old bridges and improve safety at crash blackspots in rural and regional areas.
Under that fund there will be further improvements to the Golden Highway.
The funding for the emergency repair fund will be shared across all 95 eligible regional councils and authorities, based on the total kilometres of regional and local roads they are responsible for managing.
Maitland MP and Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Jenny Aitchsion said this fairer structure supports councils in managing their roads and prioritising works based on the needs of their communities, particularly those damaged by natural disasters.
“This begins to address the inequity of the former Government’s Regional and Local Roads Repair Program which saw urban councils receiving five times more funding for flood recovery compared to regional, rural and remote councils,
“This funding commitment will ensure the roads used by regional communities daily are efficient, safe, and reliable so people can travel around town, go to work, education and healthcare, visit their family and friends, and keep our supply chains moving.”