Trucking operators dealing with the extended closure of a road link between the Blue Mountains and central-western NSW say they need government relief as well.
The government just tapped Seymour Whyte to build a new Mitchells Causeway at Victoria Pass that should reopen the Great Western Highway by June 2027.
The original causeway is 194 years old and built with convict labour; click here for more details.
It was closed in March after structural cracks were discovered that has since forced travellers, such as trucking operators, into longer detours.
The government says a new bridge will be built over the causeway that will have room for an extra lane for future growth.
FUNDING RELIEF: The government is to give $20 million in financial support for small businesses with specific postcodes that have been hit by the closure. Grants for small businesses in Mount Victoria, Hartley, Little Hartley and Hartley Vale will rise from $10,000 to $25,000. Grants of $10,000 will be extended to businesses in suburbs of Lithgow, Oberon and Blackheath.
Road Freight NSW (RFNSW) chief executive officer Simon O’Hara wants that financial support extended to freight operators who, he says, are suffering financially as their bases are not located within the eligible postcodes.
TRUCKING PRESSURES RISING
“We want this road to reopen as soon as possible so it’s imperative that the contractor delivers the work to the proposed timeline; it’s extremely important that freight operators aren’t forced to withstand the detour even longer.”
O’Hara says due to the detours, trucking operators are absorbing increases in fuel costs, driver hours, vehicle wear-and-tear, and delivery times.
“Freight operators are still carrying the financial burden of this closure every day without equivalent assistance,” he says.
He says they also want targeted support for trucking and other road frieght operators that have been affected by the closure, arguing that they are continuing to deliver to regional communities.
“Freight operators kept regional NSW supplied throughout this closure and deserve to be recognised in the government’s support measures until this route reopens,” he says.
NEXT PAGE: FINANCIAL SUPPORT SPELT OUT
