A four-kilometre stretch of the Newell Highway near Dubbo has been completely rebuilt and motorists are now reaping the benefits of bigger lanes, a stronger road surface and wider centre lines which increase the safe distance between vehicles.
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The revamp comes courtesy of a $6.2 million NSW government investment and the work of 50 Roads and Maritime (RMS) Services staff who spent the past seven months rebuilding the section of road near Godwins Lane, about 20 kilometres north of the city.
RMS regional infrastructure manager Peter Stitt joined colleagues who worked on the project and state Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders on Thursday to celebrate the completion of the road rebuild.
Mr Stitt said it was 30 years since the Godwins Lane section of the Newell Highway had major work done on it and there were more vehicles using it than ever before.
"Over time roads do fail and one by one we replace them with brand new roads," he said.
"We expect this upgraded section to last 20 years and beyond."
To help combat a rising number of deaths on country roads and keep motorists safe, the RMS was taking extra precautions when building roads, Mr Stitt advised.
'We've put the one metre wide centre line in there, which you'll see in all our new Newell Highway projects going forward," he said.
"We have unfortunately a rising road toll in the west of NSW and that is designed to keep opposing lanes of traffic apart.
"We're hoping that will have some affect."
Mr Stitt thanked RMS workers who delivered the rebuild.
"They work in all conditions...minus five in the winter, 45 degrees in summer," he said.
Mr Saunders thanked the RMS team for their work and said the road rebuild would help reduce maintenance costs for taxpayers.
"This highway is the economic backbone for the region," he said.
"From big businesses to farmers, retailers to consumers - we all rely on our goods and services getting to us in a safe and efficient manner.
"The NSW Government is committed to investing in the regions and this is nowhere more evident than with the number of projects already under way in Dubbo."
During the next five years the NSW Government has promised to spend $500 million on upgrading the Newell Highway and building at least 30 new overtaking lanes.
A major freight route, stretching more than 1060 kilometres from the Victorian border to the Queensland border, the highway is used by thousands of motorists every day and the RMS estimates 25 per cent of traffic comes from heavy vehicles.