Motorists who regularly endure a choke-point on an arterial route to Sydney’s northern beaches in peak periods are finally set for relief after the Albanese government vowed to inject $250 million into widening a western section of Mona Vale Road.
The funding, which will be unveiled in the federal budget on Tuesday, will help pay for the upgrade to 3.4 kilometres of the route between McCarrs Creek Road in Terrey Hills and Powder Works Road in Ingleside, increasing it from two to four lanes.
The Minns government deferred funding for widening the western section of Mona Vale Road by two years after winning the 2023 state election.
The delayed upgrade to the western part of Mona Vale Road has been given a boost by $250 million in federal funding.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
The former Coalition government had set aside $340 million over four years for the project to ease traffic congestion in peak periods and reduce travel times.
Federal Transport and Infrastructure Minister Catherine King said it was critical that work started on the link between the northern beaches and the north shore so that traffic congestion could be eased and safety improved.
She commended local MPs for “constructive advocacy”, adding that instead of “being blockers like their predecessors”, they had worked to realise an outcome that would be welcomed by their communities.
Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby and federal MP for Mackellar Sophie Scamps, both teal independents, have criticised the state government for shelving the upgrade, calling for it to reinstate funding and finish the job.
NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison said she welcomed any federal investment in the state as it helped to deliver her government’s “record investment” in growing Sydney suburbs.
“We’ve made no secret of the fact we have big budget pressures, and billions of dollars of infrastructure and roads that are well under way. We’ll continue to work closely with the federal government,” she said.
Aitchison did not say whether the state government would match the federal funding, or when construction was likely to start and finish if the project were given the green light.
Transport for NSW officials told budget estimates two weeks ago that the agency had only $5.5 million in funding from the state budget for detailed design work for the western section upgrade, and lacked extra money to progress the project. The design work is due to be completed shortly.
The state government spent $140 million upgrading an eastern section of the thoroughfare, between Manor Road in Ingleside and Foley Street in Mona Vale, which was completed last year.
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