Badgally Rd will be upgraded in the near future
Campbelltown’s Badgally Rd will finally be upgraded to four lanes after a funding commitment by the Federal Government.
Macarthur
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Campbelltown’s Badgally Rd will finally be upgraded to four lanes after a funding commitment by the Federal Government.
Campbelltown Council has put together a proposal to upgrade the road after the federal government announced the unused money from the $16 million Eagle Vale Drive upgrade would be reinvested in the project.
The council will be able to use the $3.76 million left over from the upgrade after the federal government announced today that Western Sydney Councils would now be able to use spare funds from projects that are completed under-budget.
Federal Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher made the announcement with Campbelltown Mayor George Brticevic and Hume federal Liberal MP Angus Taylor.
It is anticipated it would cost $28.8 million to upgrade the road from the end of Gregory Hills Drive down to Campbelltown Station.
Further money could yet be provided by the federal government under future road-funding programs.
Cr George Brticevic said the Badgally Rd upgrade would start construction would start as soon as a tender process was completed.
“A lot of the planning has already been done but tendering and design work still needs to be done,” he said.
“It will happen in the very near future.”
Cr Brticevic said the long-term plan would be to connect Campbelltown’s east and west with the construction of a bridge over the rail line.
“That is a big project and would cost in the tens of millions,” he said.
“We’re focused on getting Badgally Rd done first and then looking to that long term,”
The upgrade would also see two sets of traffic lights installed on the road, with one set to be placed outside Blairmount Public School.
Parents at the school have previously raised concerns that the current zebra crossing was not safe and would be made worse when Gregory Hills Drive opens.
Mr Taylor said the announcement was a step towards greater connectivity for the Macarthur region.
“This is particularly great in the context of the Western Sydney City Deals which is all about how to get all levels of government and the private sector working together,” he said.
“This is a great example of that. “The connections from the east to the west in this region are unbelievably important.”
Mr Fletcher said Campbelltown Council will be the first to reinvest federal funds under the new policy.
“Campbelltown Council has been very shrewd coming forward with a proposal so that construction can begin a lot more quickly,” he said.
“The planning behind (the Badgally Rd upgrade) obviously makes very good sense and fits with the broader needs of Campbelltown and the surrounding region.”
The Eagle Vale Drive upgrade was funded as part of the federal government’s $200 million Local Roads Package.