More than 80 residents live along The Hatch Road at Blackmans Point and today they woke to the news they thought they would never hear: the five-kilometre dirt road will be sealed.

Resident of Blackmans Point have been calling for this road to be sealed for more than 10 years and it will now be delivered due to the Morrison-McCormack Government’s record investment in job-creating infrastructure.

Federal Member for Cowper Pat Conaghan said the allocation of $1.5 million in last week’s Federal Budget had enabled him to meet a promise he made to the people of The Hatch to see the road rehabilitated and sealed.

“This dusty dirt road has been a thorn in the side of local residents for about a decade,” he said.

“Being on the outskirts of a regional city and the access point to some agricultural businesses, including Cassegrain’s tea tree oil plantation, I think it is high time this road was sealed.

“Our Government has delivered a strong Economic Recovery Plan for Australia, one which has delivered  major investment in infrastructure right across the country to support over 100,000 direct and indirect jobs.

“I thank the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack for allocating $1.5 million from his portfolio’s budget to fix this road.”

The Hatch Road resident Stuart Redman said he still couldn’t quite believe the road would finally be sealed.

“People along this road said it would never be sealed and that we would be living with the fear of health impacts from the recycled crushed concrete overlay always,” Mr Redman said.

“It’s such a relief to learn it will finally be sealed with bitumen and I thank the Federal Member for Cowper for not forgetting us and for not thinking our little road didn’t matter.”

The $1.5 million funding from last week’s 2020-21 Federal Budget will be provided to Port Macquarie Hastings-Council to carry out the road rehabilitation and sealing. Works are expected to start in 2021 after Council has finalised the detailed design and gained works approvals.

Another key road improvement program announced in last week’s Federal Budget was a $2 billion Road Safety Program. Mr Conaghan said the national Office of Road Safety would lead its delivery and work in partnership with State and Territory Governments.

For more info on infrastructure investment in the budget click here.

Media contact: 

Liz Spry – 0418 928 744