Tamworth Regional Mayor Col Murray estimates it will cost in excess of $20 million to bring the Port Stephens Cutting up to standard.
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The call comes after state MP Kevin Anderson instigated a renewed push to upgrade the notorious stretch of road, on the outskirts of Tamworth.
Mr Anderson said he wanted to get the ball rolling on upgrades and “get it on some priority lists”.
The six kilometre stretch, near Nowendoc in the council’s south-east, has been a bugbear for motorists, with a number of narrow bends, barely wide enough for two lanes of traffic.
The Tamworth MP said there were three or four areas which are “pinch points” and should be prioritised.
Cr Murray said the cutting has always been on council’s radar, but the money simply isn’t there to make it happen.
“If Kevin can’t find some new money, I don’t think we’ll see a significant upgrade for a while,” Cr Murray said.
“Even if [council] stopped renewal works for five years, it would not be enough.
“It’s great that Kevin promotes it, but if he can’t find some money, the chances of me seeing the Cutting upgraded in my lifetime are pretty low.”
Cr Murray said safety and usage were the key priorities when it came to renewal projects and the Port Stephens Cutting was not a heavily-used road.
While the mayor said an upgrade to the notorious and narrow stretch would be a hugely expensive project, he said he and Mr Anderson had in conversation agreed to prioritise the worst sections of the road.
Farmer Greg Upton lives at the top of the cutting and said he uses the road twice a day.
“The road is much more used now,” he said.
“Holiday trippers get a big shock when they use the road.
“The standard is not suitable.”
Mr Upton hit out at the council for not taking notice of the whole region and labelled them “totally city-centric”.
“I’ve spoken to councillors and they are well aware of the issues,” Mr Upton said.
“And I understand there is a matter of priorities. But we want to get this on the agenda.”
Cr Murray said the TRC government area has the state’s biggest local road network.
“I’ve discussed it with the council engineers and we certainly respect the residents’ concerns,” he said.
Cr Murray said council “would love to” fix the cutting, but stressed the funding was essential.