The New South Wales Government has provided $80.3 million in funding to boost the Fixing Country Roads Program, allowing 29 road projects to get underway and helping to improve freight connectivity.
Funding deeds for projects that have met prerequisite qualifications have now been signed for Round 6 projects of the Fixing Country Roads Program. It means councils can soon access money to deliver vital freight-related road projects, with construction expected to start next year.
So far, under the $543 million Fixing Country Roads Program funding, 293 projects have been completed across New South Wales. The Program helps councils repair, strengthen, widen and improve strategic freight routes in regional New South Wales, building upon a vision for a safer, stronger regional New South Wales.
The latest round of funding brings the total number of projects funded to more than 360 across over 80 regional New South Wales councils.
There are more than 72 different types of produce that are transported by road in the state every day. This includes wheat, rice, beef, poultry, milk and other products like cotton, wool and timber, and these goods need to get from the farms, silos and warehouses to port.
The New South Wales Government is committed to supporting the freight, logistics and distribution services, which are the backbone of regional New South Wales and provide more than 32,000 regional jobs. This helps support growth and economic productivity and ultimately helps reduce the cost of getting goods to market.
On 24 February 2023, $80.3 million was announced for 29 projects across 29 regional Local Government Areas (LGAs) as part of Round 6 of the Fixing Country Roads Program; this includes one project submitted by a joint organisation of five regional councils.
New South Wales Minister for Regional Transportation and Roads, Jenny Aitchison, said, “The efficient movement of freight is essential to our everyday lives, from the furniture in our homes, fuel in our cars and fresh food on supermarket shelves, we rely on a connected and safe freight network.
“The New South Wales Government provides funding to regional councils to deliver projects that enhance the capacity, access, efficiency and reliability of the road network to improve the movement of freight.
“All these projects have been vital in helping achieve a more efficient and thriving New South Wales freight industry to keep this freight moving. The efficient movement of goods from producer to consumer underpins our productivity, international competitiveness, and way of life.
“These projects will have enormous benefits in the way that goods and produce are moved from regional New South Wales to cities, across the country and to the rest of the world.”