THE Riverina Highway upgrade near the Albury-Wodonga playground which is Lake Hume has been a long time coming.
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Some who live near the stretch of road commonly referred to as a goat track and not worthy of being called a highway, will say the wait has been too long.
And the wait will go on with works being completed in two stages.
The complete job from Sandy Creek to Bethanga Bridge won't be finished until sometime in 2017 on the timelines announced by the NSW Roads and Maritime Services.
Delays are part and parcel of such a big undertaking.
Stage one works from Sandy Creek to Lake Hume Village, which includes road widening, installing guard rail and rebuilding the road surface, is slated to finish in April next year.
The second stage from Lake Hume Village to Bethanga Bridge will be the most difficult to complete.
Initial fears of the road being shut during the stage one upgrade have been allayed.
But with progress will come some pain.
The one upside for businesses around Lake Hume, which rely heavily on the Christmas-New Year holiday trade, there has been some consideration for them.
Work will temporarily cease between December 18 to January 4.
Lake Hume holidaymakers and other members of the public who flock to the popular area do have an alternative route through Wodonga.
The Riverina Highway upgrade has been the source of some political angst for Albury MLA Greg Aplin.
His critics will claim their pressure has led to his government providing $11 million funding for the project in the lead-up to the NSW election earlier this year.
Roads minister Duncan Gay travelled to Albury especially for the announcement.
It followed a visit to the area from Premier Mike Baird when anger at delays resurfaced after being overlooked in last year's budget.
But Mr Aplin has always maintained thorough pre-planning had to be completed before work could finally start and other sections of the Riverina Highway had taken priority.
But with work about to start he will be breathing a bit easier.