A TRUCK route that Greater Hume's mayor says barely fits the definition of road will benefit from $20 million being provided to improve paths for timber transport.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The NSW government on Friday announced that figure would be spent on roads across timber plantation areas from north of Tumut to west of Tumbarumba.
The Coppabella Road, which runs off the Tumbarumba Road, in Greater Hume is one of two beneficiaries of $9.65 million in the Albury electorate.
Greater Hume mayor Heather Wilton, who joined Deputy Premier John Barilaro for an announcement at Adjungbilly Road north of Tumut, said Coppabella Road was in a poor state and the funding was welcome.
"It's not what you call a road," Cr Wilton said, comparing it to a track.
We're really looking to improve the infrastructure and giving support to the industry
- Albury MP Justin Clancy
"This money will be dedicated to that particular road and that frees up other dollars and cents in our budget for other works we need to be responsible for."
The other area to benefit in the Albury electorate are the Taradale, Westbrook and Broadleaf Park roads closer to Tumbarumba in the Snowy Valleys Council.
Cr Wilton said councils across the region had been pursuing funding for five or six years, but shire mergers with Tumbarumba and other municipalities had complicated the issue.
All the roads affected are used by major timber processors Hyne, Visy and AKD Softwoods and some have had to be closed for extended periods because of safety dangers posed during rainy weather on gravel stretches.
Softwoods Working Group member Phil Clements, who joined Albury MP Justin Clancy, at a funding unveiling, said the roads cash would have a big spin-off for the industry.
"It ensures that we are getting roads that are able to be used right throughout the whole year with wet seasons and dry seasons," Mr Clements said.
"It also ensures we are able to maintain safety levels and productivity levels throughout the entire year."
"At the moment we've got log trucks going over basically dirt gravel roads, potholes; we're really looking to improve the infrastructure and giving support to the industry," Mr Clancy said.