TAMWORTH Regional Council could be about to embark on a road spending blitz.
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More than $2 million worth of new roadworks could be given the green-light at Tuesday night’s council meeting.
The funding will be split between Bligh St, which will be punctuated with roundabouts at intersections on Johnson and Piper Sts, and Browns Ln, which will be widened to eight metres if the proposal gets the tick.
The upgrades will come at a grand total of $2.15 million and the report to considered by councillors said each project would result in “improved safety, decreased travel time and increased quality of infrastructure”.
Increased safety is something Hills Plain resident Amanda Boyd has been petitioning for, as she, and the community, eagerly await the construction of a roundabout at a troublesome intersection.
Ms Boyd circled a petition calling for Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) to bring forward its plan to build a roundabout on the intersection of Moore Creek Rd and Browns Ln, so commuters weren’t left waiting while council holds off until it secures Federal Black Spot funding.
The roundabout was initially included in the TRC budget for 2017/18 financial year but was removed when councillors opted to delay and bank on federal grant.
Council’s move to widen the road comes on the back of “increased development in Hills Plain”.
“Ensuring safe, fast and efficient transport infrastructure to and from the Tamworth CBD and other destinations from Hills Plains is considered a priority,” the report said.
Ms Boyd’s petition pulled close to 200 signatures from the community and she wasn’t surprised by the support.
“A lot of people come and visit the area and they get caught on that corner too,” she said. Ms Boyd took the petition to council in a public forum meeting earlier this month.
She doesn’t believe widening Browns Ln up to the Moore Creek Rd intersection would help, unless it involved a “turn-off bay”.