In particular, he welcomed a commitment to funding to start planning the duplication of the LH Ford Bridge in Dubbo.

He said the $1 million kick-starter was great news for Dubbo and it was confirmation the project to ease congestion for motorists would indeed start.

The commitment to the bridge was a "poles and wires" election promise, Cr Dickerson said, and it was "good to see the commitment before the poles and wires money is through".

The funding for the planning followed the NSW Government's commitment of $50 million to duplicate the LH Ford Bridge, announced in March.

"There's at least a year's planning in it and possibly more. We told Troy (Grant) it was a big project and he was good to his word and came through with that.

"Dubbo's population is continuing to grow, which is positive for the city and brings new opportunities for business growth and development. As the City grows new infrastructure is essential.

"The duplication of the LH Ford Bridge would help keep commute times short and create better connections for the Newell Highway which will benefit the whole community.

"Government investment in infrastructure is absolutely critical to Dubbo's development.

"I welcome the allocation to this project by the State Government and the continued commitment to funding infrastructure upgrades that benefit Dubbo."

Cr Dickerson said the announcement of funding for a special needs school at West Dubbo was reinforced Dubbo's role as a service centre for surrounding communities.

"Spending on education is obviously important, as is health, and even though we know the Dubbo Hospital project is ongoing that's good to see," he said.

Asked if, like Regional Development Australia (RDA) Orana chair John Walkom, he would have liked to have seen the budget make provisions for further relocation of government departments to Dubbo, for instance, he said he would not have expected that in this year's budget.

"Certainly I'm behind the idea of decentralisation, and indeed I've had discussions with Troy about this," he said.

"The opening of the smarthub on the central coast last week opens opportunities for people to work from the regions, but that has only just opened so we wouldn't necessarily expect to see that in this year's budget."

Dubbo Chamber of Commerce president Matt Wright said while he had not yet taken a detailed look at the budget, he welcomed news of further funding for the redevelopment of Dubbo Hospital, a new special needs school in West Dubbo and funding to plan a duplication of the LH Ford Bridge.

"From a Chamber of Commerce point of view, these developments all have the potential to bring new workers and work into the city and generate spending in the local economy," he said.