Why Hills Council banks on orbital link to ease bottlenecks
A REGIONAL “orbital link” from Annangrove Rd at Kenthurst to Old Northern Rd at Dural is back in the spotlight for the Hills Shire Council.
Hills Shire
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A REGIONAL “orbital link” from Annangrove Rd at Kenthurst to Old Northern Rd at Dural is back in the spotlight for the Hills Shire Council.
Mayor Michelle Byrne and general manager Michael Edgar have thrown their support behind the proposal, which was first raised in February, as traffic continues to create bottlenecks on arterial roads.
One idea proposed is a link from Annangrove Rd to Old Northern Road, bypassing the Dural Round Corner township.
Mr Edgar said Annangrove Rd to Hornsby via New Line Rd was also a very important link.
“But you have a pinch point at Round Corner and choke point in New Line Rd,’’ he said.
“We feel that there could be an underground link at the roundabout of Annangrove and Kenthurst roads to Dural and Old Northern Rd to bypass Round Corner.”
The council is calling on the State Government to consider the proposal as a short term regional orbital link. It said that would “buy the state time before the M8 and M9 motorways are required”.
“These are the kind of proposals we should be planning today to future proof these regional links,” Mr Edgar said.
“If you look at Annagrove Rd back to Windsor Rd you can see this is a regional link that helps avoid town centres like Castle Hill and Baulkham Hills.”
Cr Byrne said the M8 and M9 motorways were years away, meaning interim solutions such as the Annangrove Rd link needed to be funded soon.
New Line and Annangrove roads should be recognised as key regional links.
“These roads are used by many people from The Hills and neighbouring LGAs as an alternative to the arterial Windsor Rd and M2 corridor,’’ she said.
‘With another 100,000 people moving into our Shire within the next 15 years, the Box Hill precinct well and truly under construction and at least 160,000 to 200,000 people from the Blacktown and Hawkesbury LGAs, these roads will only get busier.”
“Council is planning for today, so these important links are ready for the future,” she said.
A Transport for NSW spokesman said regional planning for the Round Corner Dural region, projects and timelines were detailed in the Future Transport Draft Greater Survey Services and Infrastructure Plan.
“Transport for NSW is currently considering submissions and the final plan is due to be released next year,’’ he said.