Kerr Road links the Riverina Highway and Thurgoona Drive and is one of the major roads in an area where Albury’s population of 52,000 people is expected to double by 2060.

The road is in poor condition, but a $675,000 project to realign the intersection with the Riverina Highway has been put on hold by Albury Council.

Three companies submitted tenders, but when the only conforming submission was “significantly” over budget, council staff elected to put a temporary hold on works.

It will re-advertise the project later this year and include a $1 million upgrade of a section of Kerr Road, which will take the total to $1.65 million.

The Kerr Road upgrade has been divided into five stages and funding allocations are included in the present four-year works schedule.

The intersection works include eight kilometres of sealed pavement, 160 metres of new kerb and guttering.

Extensive drainage works were also proposed.

Due to the proximity of the Riverina Highway, the presence of a fibre optic cable within the works area and the existence of a noxious weed, a site meeting was called with all prospective tenderers.

The council’s updated procedure for the treatment and method of removing noxious weeds was explained along with the NSW Roads and Maritime Services requirements for the works.

The RMS design resulted in a revised deeper pavement depth and the inclusion of acceleration and deceleration lanes in the tender.

The council’s engineering staff member Ian Redman said the tender would be readvertised early the next financial year.

“This significantly increases the project value and with these economies of scale should provide increased interest from the marketplace,” he said.

The recent Thurgoona-Wirlinga structure plan includes a shopping centre to be built at the Riverina Highway-Kerr Road intersection.