Dubbo Boundary Road extension project delayed again

Construction of a 1.6 kilometre road, connecting new housing estates and a busy school precinct, will be completed over budget and almost five years after it was first promised.

Dubbo drivers will be forced to wait longer for the city’s much-needed Boundary Rd extension to be completed after a further delay in construction of the troubled and over-budget project was confirmed.

The 1.6 kilometre project, originally expected to cost $8 million, was first announced in June 2017 and the road is now on track to be completed “by April”, Dubbo Regional Council has confirmed.

The first section of the Boundary Rd extension was opened in 2018. Picture: Dubbo Regional Council/Facebook

The further delay comes after the council previously promised the project would be completed by February 2022, with the budget blowing out to $9 million.

Council’s chief executive, Murray Wood, confirmed the revised completion date and he said it would dependent on suitable weather conditions.

“Dubbo Regional Council has previously issued communications to the community around the delays that have been caused due to the Covid pandemic and changes to the underground service requirements,” Mr Wood said.

“Details of the funding and project costs will be included in the quarterly budget review statement, put before council early in the new year.”

The Boundary Rd extension project in Dubbo has been plagued by delays. Picture: Ryan Young

When complete, the two-stage extension project will provide motorists with a second route in and out of the busy Sheraton Rd which is home to four schools.

It will also service the growing number of residents living in the Keswick and Southlakes housing estates.

Stage one of the road extension, which saw Wheelers Lane connected to Alexandrina Ave, was completed in 2018 after it got off to a shaky start when the company the council originally awarded the construction tender to ended up in liquidation.

Stage two, connecting Boundary Rd from Alexandrina Ave to Sheraton Rd, was first expected to be completed by the end of 2020.

The NSW Government contributed $4 million to the extension, Alkane Resources chipped in $2.3 million as part of a voluntary planning agreement and council agreed to pay the rest of the construction bill.

Mathew Dickerson has promised a ‘new beginning’ for Dubbo Council under his leadership. Picture: Ryan Young

Dubbo Mayor Mathew Dickerson said delays to the project were caused in part, by council staff being redeployed to help the NSW Government manage the Covid crisis

“There were also some underground surface works that had to be done,” Mr Dickerson said,

“They basically found there were some stormwater drains that were going to have some issues with some power lines on Sheraton Road so that had to be redesigned.

“That installation work was done back on December 15 … there’s more work that needs to be done.”

Mr Dickerson, who became mayor in December, said “with good planning” the council should be able to complete projects on time and on budget.

“There should be enough experience to do that,” he said.

“I wouldn’t be so blasé as to blame every budget problem and every delay on Covid because we know Covid’s here and we’ve got to make sure we accommodate for that and change what we do to allow for those things that might happen during the pandemic.

“I hope that as we go forward we will get better at making sure our budgets and our time frames around any infrastructure project, large or small, will be accurate. And if not, we will communicate with the community as to why they’re not on time or on budget or why we’re travelling differently to what the original estimation was.”