Pooncarie to Menindee road funding falls 25.6km short

FUNDING to complete covering the from Pooncarie to Menindee with bitumen remains uncertain despite an anticipated July start date for the project.

In March last year, Central Darling Shire secured $25 million from the federal and New South Wales governments to seal the 70km stretch within that municipality.

However, further funds were needed to cover 26.5km within the Wentworth Shire boundaries.

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Wentworth Shire Council general manager Ken Ross said it would cost about $9 million to complete the roadworks.

He said council had applied for funding from both state and federal government bodies.

Mr Ross said sealing the road was highly important, as it would increase tourist traffic, minimise safety issues associated with unsealed roads and decrease travel times.

“It will open up more freight options to farming and retail businesses from Wentworth to Menindee,” Mr Ross said.

“It will also provide Roads and Maritime Services with an alternate route from Wentworth to Broken Hill should the Silver City Highway be closed — as it was with the Bunnerungee Bridge collapse in 2019.”

NSW Minister for Environment Sussan Ley said she met with Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack and Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Mark Coulton last week.

She said she was “completely confident” both common sense and the required funding would both be found.

“The Pooncarie Road runs from Wentworth right through to Menindee, and you won’t reduce travel times, boost tourism and improve vehicle safety by only fixing up half the road,” Ms Ley said.

Menindee residents have waited 12 months — since the funding was announced — for much-needed work on the unsealed road to start.

Menindee Regional Tourism Association president Rob Gregory said while the waiting time was annoying, it was great to see it finally coming along.

He said Central Darling Shire hiring a project engineer to manage a number of community projects including the Pooncarie to Menindee Road was a step forward.

“We certainly don’t want it to be thrown open to outside contractors, we want to keep it within our local community and use our local contractors, which is a critical component of that,” Mr Gregory said.

“It was stated by the state and feds when the money was allocated that it must stay in the local region and create indigenous jobs.

“One of our contractors here in town, about 70 per cent of their staff are indigenous or their partners are indigenous so it is certainly an important part of our community.”

Mr Gregory said a “huge amount” of water would be used in the road construction and the flows coming down the Darling River could play a critical part in that.

He said pumping water from the river would save money and allow the construction process to “roll on”.

“You need water to make roads,” Mr Gregory said.

“It would be good if that is the case (if the flows coming down are used to help seal the road).

“I am sure they would be able to pump from the river and use that water.

“It seems to make a lot of sense other than having to put bores down, which would cost thousands — you know, $50,000 to $60,000 — that is a saving on its own.

“And that’s money that could be used elsewhere, that could do another kilometre into the Wentworth Shire.”

Mr Gregory said the business case development was very positive and the money generated out of the road played a large component in helping Menindee, Pooncarie, Wentworth and towns further up the Darling in the future.

Construction is expected to be complete by mid-2023.