The Federal government has committed to the pre-election promises of Eden-Monaro MP Peter Hendy, including upgrades to the Barton Highway.
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In June, Dr Hendy promised a $50 million upgrade of the Barton Highway during his election campaign.
For months, Member for Goulburn Pru Goward, Yass Valley mayor Rowena Abbey and the Yass council have been appealing to the Federal Government for access to the promised funds.
Newly appointed Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Darren Chester, wrote to Ms Goward in early September confirming the Australian government's four-year funding commitment of $50 million.
"This funding will secure upgrades to the [Barton] Highway, including the provision of overtaking lanes and safety measures," Mr Chester wrote.
The Federal government is liaising with the NSW state government about implementation arrangements for the commitment, prior to incorporating the project under the Infrastructure Investment Programme, which is essential for a full duplication.
The four-year funding commitment, labelled the Barton Highway Duplication Package, does not guarantee a full duplication of the two-lane stretch of the highway, but provides $45 million for overtaking lanes which would extend the future corridor.
Another $1.75 million would go to a duplication business case which would include recommended staging and costings for the highway duplication. The remaining $3.25 million would be spent on safety upgrades, including so-called intelligent transport systems which use real-time traffic monitoring, CCTV and electronic signage to inform motorists about traffic conditions and better manage accidents.
A Barton Highway Taskforce, led by Mayor Abbey, was introduced in 2015 and includes representatives from the truck and bus industry, the NRMA, road transport professionals and the local community, primarily focused on seeking funding commitments from both state and federal governments.
Mayor Abbey said while the news was very welcome, the taskforce needed to work constructively with both state and federal governments to achieve the best result with the money committed.
"We're very pleased the Coalition will honour their commitment," she said. "Now we have to work on getting the best outcome from the business case."
About 12,000 motorists travel on the Barton Highway each day. A report published by the federal and NSW governments last year said there had been 137 crashes on the highway between 2009 and 2013, with seven fatalities and 70 crashes involving injury, with most crashes between Murrumbateman and the ACT border.
