The eastbound lane 24km from Gunnedah complements ongoing work on a westbound overtaking lane near the Lake Keepit turn-off. Both form part of a $17 million state government pledge designed to make our make our roads safer and faster for commuters. 

Member for Tamworth and Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Roads, Kevin Anderson, said these upgrades on a congested part of the highway, acknowledged the community’s strong desire for better roads.

“I've got a file about a foot thick requesting work to be done,” Mr Anderson said.

“This section of highway is very important because it gets very busy. There is a lot of clearway between Lake Keepit and Tamworth but it does start to jam up up between Keepit and Gunnedah because the road gets more narrow and more winding. 

“We need to make sure we put these overtaking lanes near the busiest sections and where it's most difficult to overtake.”

The new lane will be located at a common bottleneck east of Carroll, where loaded trucks struggle against the steep incline.

Also to be upgraded in the area will be the flood-prone Hoss Causeway at Carroll.

“A little bit of rain and it can flood very quickly,” Mr Anderson said.

The trouble spot will undergo a $5 million make-over with box culverts to ensure the approaches are above the flood zone.

NSW Roads and Maritime’s northern regional director John Alexander, who stopped by to launch the second phase of Oxley Highway upgrades, said there has been “significant spending” already on road infrastructure between Gunnedah and Tamworth. While annual reviews of works would reassess necessary programs, no further major upgrades were forecast for this particular area.

Work on this latest upgrade section is expected to be finished in a few months. Roadwork will be carried out weekdays between 7am-5pm and Saturday 7am-1pm. New speed limits will take effect once roadwork barriers are installed. The westbound lane has a staff of around 10 and depending on requirements, sees about 50-100 truck movements per day.