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The Purlewaugh Road widening project has now commenced and is set to improve road safety, reliability and improve accessibility for communities. Once completed, this project will see the upgrade and widening of a 10km section of Purlewaugh Road and will increase the width of road pavement by around 25% which will improve road safety for all users, increase reliability of the road and improve accessibility for trucks. Works on the first two curves that are set to be widened started in late October 2021. The majority of the works will be undertaken by Contractors, with tenders for the widening project closing in January 2022. According to Council’s Director Technical Services, Mr Gary Murphy, ‘Purlewaugh Road was constructed and sealed over fifty years ago and while several sections of the road between Coonabarabran and the village of Purlewaugh have been upgraded since then, there are many sections of narrow pavement.’ The Australian Government, through the Roads of Strategic Importance (ROSI) Program, is contributing $2.4m towards the project and the NSW Government is contributing $0.8m under the Regional Roads Repair and Improvement Program. The ROSI Program is all about freight routes and ensuring they provide efficient connection to ports, airports and important transport hubs. Purlewaugh Road is an important east west freight route, connecting the Newell Highway to the Hunter Valley. The road is accessible by B Double Trucks, however higher productivity vehicles such as Road Trains and AB Triples can access the road under permit conditions. Mr Murphy said, ‘Purlewaugh Road east of the planned bypass is not up to standard for open access by Road Trains and the funding that has become available to Council will allow the road to be widened to make it safer for all users.” Council’s road crew are working on widening two curves, however their work has been hampered by wet weather in November and early December. ‘The widening on the curves is expected to be completed in February 2022, while the work under contract is expected to be completed by July 2022’, said Mr Murphy.
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Last Updated: 22 Dec 2021