Our traffic jams are infamous, with creeping queues ‘stop and going’ at locations from Woy Woy to Wamberal to Wyong.
And they are having a detrimental affect on Coast businesses, especially in the retail sector which has come under strong attack from online sales.
The Brisbane Water District including The Peninsula, Gosford, Erina and Narara Valley suffered from being safe State seats in years gone by with very little progress made, particularly in the 1980s.
The problems have many other causes including overdevelopment without obligatory capital works and our unique landscape and extensive lakes and inlets with modern roads following the original old colonial roads. Plus, the rain: when it comes at the end of every summer, it wreaks havoc.
In Wyong, traffic has been disastrous for decades, but it seems the infamous upgrade to the Pacific Hwy, promised for so many years, is finally about to happen. It is understood compulsory acquisitions have been made in the town centre to allow work to proceed.
The problems which once plagued the intersection of Wyong Rd and Pacific Hwy in Tuggerah have eased with the new railway bridge and lights and this has also solved the problem at the roundabout near Bunnings on Wyong Road
However, the roundabout at the corner of Wyong Rd and The Entrance Rd will need to be replaced with lights, similar to the work at the sight of the old Mingara roundabout.
While roundabouts are ‘out’ on the northern end of the Coast, major roundabouts have been installed at Kincumber and The Peninsula, eliminating major bottlenecks. The Kincumber roundabout at the intersection of Cullens Rd and Empire Bay Dr.
Anyone who has spent Saturday morning in a 2km lineup trying to enter from the south will be relieved.
Another big roundabout was recently opened at the intersection of Memorial Ave and Maitland Bay Drive in Ettalong.
West Gosford was another ‘stop go’ area for decades as the area rapidly outgrew its infrastructure, but the installation of the West Gosford intersection seems to have fixed the backlog.
The new Lisarow railway over bridge will extend the dual carriageway to Niagara Park roundabout, but the section through to Wyoming is still a problem.
The dual carriageway Entrance Rd from Erina to Wamberal Rd- Tumbi Rd roundabout has been a major success with residents and businesspeople, but the single lane section through Forresters Beach and Bateau Bay is a ‘shocker’.
Traffic is supposed to flow at 70kph, but at peak hour in the afternoon this more like 7kph, with 26,000 vehicles using the road every day.
Scene of many accidents
The good news is that the State Govt will spend $387M upgrading the 4km section and preliminary works are underway. The work will also hopefully fix the notorious backlog at Tumbi Rd where cars can back up more than 1 km at peak times.
While there is little likelihood of the Long Jetty singe lane road ever being replaced, the last major upgrade needed in the dangerous Wilfred Barrett Dr between North Entrance and Noraville, scene of many deadly high speed accidents.
The State Govt has flagged significant work to improve the 80km ‘speedway’, but it really needs to be four lanes with a roundabout at Magenta Shores.
Meanwhile, Federal Member for Robertson Lucy Wicks announced a $4M range of funding for Central Coast Roads.
It has been designed so works can start immediately, ensuring local motorists can ‘get home sooner and safer’.
“Central Coast motorists are about to experience smoother and safer commute along the M1 Pacific Motorway near Mt White,” Ms Wicks said.
“The funding will deliver lifesaving upgrades including shoulder sealing, rumble strips to alert drivers when they are moving out of their lane, median upgrades to prevent head-on collisions and barriers to prevent run-off-road crashes and protect against roadside hazards.
“This investment won’t just save lives, it will also provide a boost to our local economy as we come back from the COVID-19 recession.”
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast and State Member for Terrigal Adam Crouch said the NSW and Australian Governments had together committed $4.55m to upgrade six Central Coast roads.
“We’re working together to get these projects funded and delivered as soon as possible,” Mr Crouch said.
“The six roads benefitting from funding – including at Budgewoi, Wamberal, Mount White, Charmhaven and Lake Munmorah – are utilised by hundreds of thousands of Central Coast residents on a daily basis.”
“The Australian Government’s funding for the Road Safety Program is subject to ‘use it or lose it’ provisions and will deliver life-saving treatments on regional roads and to protect vulnerable road users , while also supporting local jobs and providing a welcome boost to local economies.
The ‘use it or lose it’ provisions require States and Territories to use their notionally allocated funds within a timeframe, or the funds can be reallocated to projects in other jurisdictions.
In total, the Australian Government has committed up to $300M and the NSW Government a further $108.2M to fund the State-wide upgrades under tranche one.
For more information on the Australian Government’s road safety initiatives, visit www.officeofroadsafety.gov.au
