The Australian Government has committed $63.5 million towards the Dunheved Road upgrade in New South Wales’ Penrith region, taking the total federal funding for this project to $127 million – which is the full projected value of the upgrade.
In addition, the Dunheved Road upgrade is expected to support up to 300 direct and indirect jobs during its construction as well as help bust congestion in Sydney’s west.
“This funding is a concrete local example of the Government’s JobMaker plan in action, delivering priority infrastructure upgrades for Wester Sydney to slash congestion, get people home sooner and safer, and deliver construction jobs at a time that support is needed more than ever,” Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said.
The first $63.5 million funding for the Dunheved Road upgrade was secured in 2019 and now with the full funding in place, project development can commence.
The project is currently under the planning phase with Penrith Council, who will undertake investigations and planning assessments. About $4.2 million of the funding has been given to Council for their planning work.
“I’ve been working to ease congestion on our local roads so people can commute between home and work safer and quicker to spend more time with their families. For many years, residents have raised concerns around safety and congestion on Dunheved Road and that’s why I committed to fight for this project. Dunheved Road is used by many people in our community, and this upgrade is very important to local residents and businesses.
“Our community got behind my petition and I want to thank them for their support in ensuring this critical road project is now fully funded in the 2020-2021 Federal Budget,” Federal Member for Lindsay Melissa McIntosh MP said.
The project will deliver priority upgrades to Dunheved Road between Richomond Road and Werrington Road in Penrith, helping bust congestion and improve safety on this section of road.
A construction timeframe has not been confirmed, but it will be revealed as project planning progresses.
Source: Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure; Roads & Infrastructure Australia; The Western Weekender