Additional funding for Dunns Road

Work on the complete sealing and upgrade of Dunns Road in Wagga Wagga is scheduled to start next year after a budget of $8.3M was committed to the project this week.

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development and Member for Riverina Michael McCormack confirmed Federal Government funding of $5.8M with Wagga Wagga City Council contributing $2.5M.

Mr McCormack said the long-awaited upgrade will be welcomed by the community

“Dunns Road is an important shortcut between the Olympic Highway and Holbrook Road just south of Wagga Wagga, which currently alternates between dirt and sealed surfaces,” Mr McCormack said.

“The Government’s funding commitment will assist in sealing the full length of the road to improve safety and community access in the area which is welcome news to the road’s users.”

His comments were endorsed by Mayor of the City of Wagga Wagga Councillor Greg Conkey OAM who said there had been “extensive work behind the scenes” to reach this point.

“Council has been doing the necessary groundwork to prepare for this much-needed upgrade for the past few years,” Cr Conkey said.

“This includes engaging independent consultants to undertake an in-depth study, reviewing the existing design for Dunns Road and determining the scope of works required to upgrade it.

“We’ve also looked at traffic flow-on effects of undertaking the upgrade and listened to the views of nearby residents and the wider Wagga Wagga community.”

Cr Conkey said the Dunns Road upgrade will provide a safe and more direct route to the southern portion of the Wagga Wagga residential area, to the airport and to major sporting and recreational facilities from the Olympic Highway.

The proposed construction of a roundabout at the Holbrook Road and Dunns Road intersection, along with the reduced speed limit to 60 kilometres per hour on both Dunns Road and Lloyd Road (urban sections only), will increase safety at the intersection.

The proposed installation of solar-powered Intelligent traffic signs to advise drivers of changing conditions will also add to safety conditions along the road.

The Olympic Highway and Dunns Road intersection upgrade will improve traffic flow to the outlying townships of Uranquinty, The Rock and the Australian Army base at Kapooka.

Work is expected to begin in 2020 with completion due by mid-2021, weather permitting.