It’s been a long time coming, but Moree Plains Shire Council has finally received the funding needed to completely seal Carrigan Road all the way from Boomi to Mungindi.
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Now a further $10.5 million has been awarded to council by the state government to widen and seal the remaining 58 kilometres of gravel on the vital freight route.
The community has been calling for the road to be sealed for more than two decades, and Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall is thrilled to see the project finally going ahead.
“This has been a longstanding battle but I’ve been working with the community and the council on this for probably three years now, not long after this region came into the northern tablelands electorate,” he said.
Mr Marshall said the upgrade will make an enormous difference in people’s lives in the area.
“It’ll make a huge difference economically because there’s over $30 million worth of produce that comes off the land on properties that link in with this road each year,” he said.
“To have an all weather access road so that they can go the shortest freight route every single time in all weather will save millions of dollars for local farmers, which given the current climate we’re in is essential.
“Farmers and businesses will be able to employ people again because the communities are accessible in all weather with all vehicle types.”
It’s not just farmers that will be impacted but it will make a massive difference in people’s everyday lives.
“The fact that kids will be able to get to school every day because the school bus will always run. Emergency services will get in here all the time,” Mr Marshall said.
“I’m really thrilled because this is one of those big projects that some people told me they thought they’d never live to see this happen. Well it’s going to happen now.”
Moree Plains Shire Council mayor Katrina Humphries is delighted to see the area receive the much needed upgrade after some recent tough times.
“It’s absolutely fabulous that the productivity of this area is now being recognised and I’m hoping that this is a big turning point with funding. It’s a big win for the little folk,” she said.
It’s taken a long time for it to come to fruition Cr Humphries is grateful that the hard work has finally paid off.
“This is a wonderful reflection of what can happen when the locals, the council and the government actually all get together,” she said.
Councillor Sue Price has been lobbying to get the road fixed for more 10 years and is excited to finally be able to see the impact it will have on the hard working people in the area.
“This has been a dream of mine for a long, long time, and it’s taken us a while to get here,” she said.
“This road is the reality of these people’s lives. They drive it every day, it’s their only access for them to get out of their places and it’s been in a shocking condition for a long time.”
The road is planned to be sealed over the next 12-18 months, and the funding has been officially signed off so it won’t be impacted by any future elections.
“We’re giving people that live here exactly what people that live in Moree, in Narrabri, in Inverell have always had and that is just good quality roads to go about their daily lives and that’s why this is such a big occasion for so many people that live up here,” Mr Marshall said.
“This will change people’s lives in so many ways.”
