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You probably haven’t heard much about the project, but NSW Labor has set aside millions of dollars to upgrade a major Wollongong intersection.
Opposition Leader Luke Foley will join the party’s Wollongong byelection candidate Paul Scully in the city on Wednesday to announce a Labor government would spend $40 million on a new Masters Road and Springhill Road interchange.
The project will be one of a “series of initiatives” contained in Labor’s Illawarra Jobs Action Plan, to be revealed on Wednesday.
With the November 12 byelection looming, Mr Foley’s mid-week visit is his second to Wollongong in just over two weeks.
The leader was here on October 7, when he committed $50 million to upgrade the WIN Entertainment Centre.
Wednesday’s announcement has been described by Mr Scully as “the most comprehensive package” for the Illawarra he has seen in “some time”.
“It’s a serious commitment to the future of the region,” he said.
The byelection candidate said the proposed Masters Road/Springhill Road interchange would “get rid of one of the big pinch points in traffic flow in Wollongong”, easing congestion of vehicles moving into the CBD and between the port of Port Kembla and the M1 Princes Motorway.
A “Masters Road flyover” project was identified by RDA Illawarra in its “Advancing Infrastructure in the Illawarra” discussion paper, published in 2014.
According to the RDA report, the estimated cost of the Masters Road flyover was $40 million.
The Masters Road project is among a handful of road infrastructure improvements listed in the report.
However, it is the only one that sits in the Wollongong electorate.
Wednesday’s job-related announcement will come on the back of a Labor pledge to upgrade the Mount Keira Summit Park.
Mr Scully revealed on Tuesday a Labor government would spend $5 million to upgrade walking tracks, visitor information, signage and Aboriginal education initiatives at the iconic tourist spot.
A cafe/restaurant is included in the Labor proposal.
Destination Wollongong chairwoman Tania Brown welcomed the funding promise.
“We all know that this is the jewel in our crown and $5 million will go a long way to adding a few more jewels to that crown,” Ms Brown said.