Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan and State Member for Coffs Harbour Gurmesh Singh have welcomed the almost $500,000 in funding that will provide safer roads for communities in the region.

Two projects in Coffs Harbour will receive the funding as part of the Federal and State Government’s accelerated Fixing Local Roads program.

Coffs Harbour City Council will improve Seventeenth Avenue Sawtell with $299,380.00 in funding while $198,912.00 has been set aside for the Moonee Street (South) project.

Mr Conaghan said the program will improve local roads and create local jobs.

“The latest round of Fixing Local Roads funding would help local councils tackle the increasing amount of work required to provide safe roads for their communities, like repairing, patching, maintaining and sealing,” he said..

“The $243.6 million first round of the program last year is already delivering projects across the Coffs Harbour area, and now we’re building on that with a further $150 million in round two.

“Safe, reliable roads are essential infrastructure for communities in the bush, so it’s great that the Federal Government has turbocharged the NSW Government’s $500 million Fixing Local Roads program by committing $191 million last year.”

Mr Singh said Fixing Local Roads was helping councils repair, maintain and seal the roads that really mattered to regional communities.

“NSW has a road network of more than 180,000 kilometres in length, and nearly 80 per cent is classified as local roads, so it is a real challenge for councils to effectively manage and maintain their road assets,” Mr Singh said.

“This program won’t just ease the burden of maintenance for local councils, but it will deliver safer, more reliable journeys for all local road users.”