The remaining 3km of unsealed surface on Nethercote Road is to be sealed thanks to $1,432,341 in funding from the NSW Government's Fixing Local Roads program.
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It is one of many unsealed roads in Bega Valley Shire but its role as an alternative route outweighs it role as a link to the Nethercote locality.
In the event of closure of the Princes Highway anywhere between Eden and South Pambula, Nethercote Road is the only alternative route. It has been used on numerous occasions following highway crashes but the unsealed section has proved problematic particularly in wet weather, when crashes are more likely to occur.
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Sealing the remaining 3km has been on council's to do list for some time but without funding, was not going to happen.
Mayor Russell Fitzpatrick welcomed the funding being granted under round 4 of the program for sealing and resealing Nethercote Road.
Some of the sealed sections are also in a bad condition after the impacts of floods and severe weather over the past year, Cr Fitzpatrick said, and it would ensure "the community had safer, smoother connections for their daily drive".
Cr Fitzpatrick said the money was in the bank and work would start as soon as council went out to tender and awarded the contract.
The funding deed must be signed by March 1 and projects must be able to commence in the first 12 months from receipt of a signed funding deed, Transport for NSW said. All works must be completed within 24 months.
Cr Fitzpatrick said $3,021,053 in funding from rounds 2 and 3 was used to upgrade the seal on Kameruka Lane, Candelo, and to upgrade and re-seal Wanatta Lane, near Wolumla.
"The upgrade to Wanatta Lane will improve access for local residents, as well as strengthen the road leading to the shire's Central Waste Facility. Currently, the road is only sealed at the northern and southern ends. By sealing the entire length of Wanatta Lane, residents will have access to a safer and more durable road," he said.
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