JINGELLIC Road will be available to B-Double users when a $3.5 million upgrade to the dangerous Yarara Gap section is completed.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The road is a gazetted B-Double route for its entire length with the exception of the 2.3 kilometre section at Yarara Gap, which has a narrow seal, poor alignment and steep grades.
The current road condition is a turnoff to B-Double drivers carrying livestock and logs between the Upper Murray and Greater Hume shire.
The council has obtained $2.5 million in federal and state funding and will add $1 million from its own coffers to complete the upgrade.
When completed, logging carriers will be able to use B-Doubles instead of semi-trailers to cart sawn logs from the softwoods forests of the Upper Murray to the Ettamogah rail hub and Norske Skog paper mill.
Livestock carriers currently avoid the road due to safety concerns when travelling between Holbrook and the Upper Murray.
The freight industry and general public will also have a viable alternative route in the event the Tumbarumba Road is closed by fire as happened in January last year.
Greater Hume mayor Heather Wilton said transport operating costs would be reduced as a result of the upgrade.
"It provides operators with the capacity for greater efficiency by enabling them to use nine-axle vehicles instead of a six-axle vehicle," she said.
"This means lower fuel costs, reduced wear and tear on vehicles, reduced number of trips to carry the same amount of freight and reduced time taken to perform the transport task.
"Importantly, this project will significantly improve safety for all vehicles travelling on this section of road by widening the pavement and shoulders and improving the grade and camber, reducing the risk of heavy vehicles losing traction while travelling over Yarara Gap and either having to stop or having to reverse down the hill."
The council has undertaken extensive community consultation to ensure affected communities were informed about the challenges of the steep terrain placed on the project scope as it prepared tender documentation.
It can confirm successful tenderer RECivil will undertake the contract "under traffic with 24 hours traffic lights".
This will result in the original proposed 26 week project lengthened to about 30 weeks.
It is expected construction will start within six weeks with one lane traffic movements across the reconstruction site necessary until Christmas.
It is expected two lane traffic movements will be required for the balance of the project timeframe of January to May next year.
Average 10-minute delays are expected.