GUNNEDAH Shire Council is pushing to make sure funding for major road projects is delivered in this month’s state budget.
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Speaking to The NVI, mayor Jamie Chaffey said he would be expecting the state government to come to the table with funding for the town’s long-awaited second rail overpass between Conadilly and Warrabungle streets.
The overpass was among a number of projects he hoped would go ahead, including funds for more than 17km of the Grain Valley Way still to be sealed.
Cr Chaffey said state government funding had already been announced for a new Gunnedah police station, along with upgrades to the Gunnedah TAFE Campus.
But he hoped roads would be the winner for the shire this year.
“We are certainly waiting with anticipation for some of the announcements,” Cr Chaffey said.
“We are expecting that there will be funding announced within that for the start of the second overpass which is a significant state project and funding.
“It has certainly taken some time to get to the stage that we are, but we are very hopeful there will be an announcement in the budget that there are funds there to start that project, as well as many other projects that we are looking for.”
Cr Chaffey said he and previous mayors and councillors had been campaigning for funding to seal the Grain Valley Way for some time, with an estimated $8 million needed to complete the project.
Member for Tamworth Kevin Anderson said he was working to ensure funding for the Gunnedah overpass would be announced.
“I’m definitely pushing hard on that second rail overpass, I would absolutely like to see money in the budget for that,” he said.
“It is a longstanding project and I’m really keen for it to happen.
“It will happen.
“It’s just about ready, the detailed planning is to be released on that, which is good and I’m looking forward to getting the money for it.”
Mr Anderson said there had been no formal representations made to him on Grain Valley Way until “just recently”.
“I’ve pushed it through to the minister’s (for roads) office and it would be great to see money for that,” he said.
“We might be able to get it through the fixing Country Roads Program, but I don’t know if it was requested a little too late for the budget.”