Grey nomads could soon find the New South Wales Outback that much more accessible – if slightly less adventurous – following a funding boost to two remote and rugged highways.
The New South Wales state government is to give $40 million to help with upgrading and sealing works on the Silver City and Cobb highways.
The sealing of these major roads has been strung out over many decades and whilst the ‘turbo charged’ money won’t be enough to complete all remaining works, the government says it is confident that the remaining funds will soon be accessed.
The Silver City Highway in the arid Far West region of New South Wales heads north from Buronga up via Broken Hill to Tibooburra. The 684-kilometre-long highway will receive three quarters of the funding, and new works will include a new bridge over Packsaddle Creek north of Broken Hill. Campaigners hope it means the day might eventually dawn when the Silver City Highway is fully sealed to Tibooburra.
The $10 million dollar upgrade to seal and upgrade parts of the Cobb Highway north of Ivanhoe will apparently make a big difference to how trafficable the road is, particularly in wet weather. The highway begins at its junction with the Barrier Highway near Wilcannia and runs south through the townships of Ivanhoe, Booligal, Hay and Deniliquin, ending at Moama, before continuing into Victoria as the Northern Highway.
Minister for Western NSW Kevin Humphries said spending money on better roads to boost tourism opportunities was a ‘no-brainer’.
