Illawarra MPs trying to accelerate the upgrade of a truck parking bay on Mount Ousley say the 12-month delay for a starting date isn’t good enough.
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The Mercury revealed on Tuesday that construction work to improve the existing northbound rest area – near Clive Bissell Drive – wouldn’t begin until May 2016, despite government correspondence late last year saying it would start in the first half of 2015.
According to the Transport for NSW website, the $8.1 million project, funded by the state and federal government, remains in the ‘‘planning phase’’.
Transport Minister Duncan Gay blamed structural constraints for the delay. “We are committed to delivering a truck stop that will service the trucking industry well into the future, and this means building the rest stop right up-front,’’ Mr Gay told the Mercury.
“Early project work identified structural constraints, including the need for utility work and widening the road corridor.”
Keira MP, and opposition spokesman for the Illawarra, Ryan Park, said Mr Gay ‘‘simply doesn’t understand how vital this infrastructure is’’.
‘‘We have thousands of trucks going up and down this road each and every day,’’ Mr Park said. ‘‘This lengthy delay is simply not good enough, it needs to be made a priority.’’
Federal Member for Cunningham Sharon Bird said if the minister had said the project was more complex than anticipated, rather than saying it was almost complete, they would have understood.
‘‘It’s both frustrating and confusing because, firstly, it’s really important infrastructure, secondly, it seems to contradict the advice he gave us at the end of last year,’’ Ms Bird said.
‘‘The end result of all of this is we’ve got to wait another 12 months for infrastructure that was needed at the time we allocated the money two years ago.’’
The upgrade will increase the truck stop’s capacity from four to between 10 and 15 B-double bays, along with the addition of toilets, shade/shelter and rubbish bins.