A new round of funding to help regional councils fix local roads is set to drive safer, smoother journeys and support thousands of jobs in the bush.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW John Barilaro said applications were now open for round three of the NSW Government's $500 million Fixing Local Roads Program which is helping regional councils repair, maintain and seal priority local roads in their communities.
"Our councils in the bush have a mammoth task in providing for their communities and maintaining infrastructure," Mr Barilaro said.
"That's why the highly successful Fixing Local Roads program is so important - it's giving councils a helping hand to address their maintenance backlog and repair, maintain or seal the local roads that really matter to their communities.
"This funding will make a real difference to regional communities, supporting about 3500 jobs statewide, and helps us to build a safer, stronger regional NSW."
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said the NSW Government had turbocharged the rollout of the program with an additional $191 million of funding from the Australian Government.
"Together, we've delivered more than $393 million for 361 Fixing Local Road projects across 91 regional Local Government Areas in rounds one and two from Cobar to Coffs Harbour," Mr Toole said.
"Communities are already starting to see the benefits of this program, with more than 55 of these projects open to traffic, another 28 projects close to finished and another 106 are in delivery.
"We know how much better roads mean in the bush - and projects like these are creating hundreds of jobs and helping regional communities recover from the impact of floods, bushfires, drought and the COVID-19 pandemic."
In round three, councils will be able to apply for up to $3 million for a single road project and up to $1 million for packages of small road projects.
"We want to ensure councils are geared up and able to deliver these projects so communities are seeing the benefits of this investment every time they get behind the wheel. Even small projects can make a big difference on the roads people use every day," Mr Toole said.
All successful projects will commence construction within six months of receiving funding and be completed within two years to ensure local communities see the benefits as quickly as possible.
Read information for councils on how to apply for funding, as well as the Program Guidelines for Round 3 of the Fixing Local Roads Program.
