EXPANDING a freeway interchange on the Hume Highway north of Albury will allow planning for more homes across northern Thurgoona to proceed.
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Work on adding southern side ramps to the Davey Road, which is currently only accessible from the north, officially began on Friday with a sod turning involving federal MP Sussan Ley, her NSW counterpart Justin Clancy and Albury mayor Kevin Mack.
The $15.8 million Commonwealth-state project will allow easier access to the Nexus industrial precinct and take pressure off the Thurgoona Drive exit with many trucks no longer needing to use that point to reach businesses such as the Ettamogah rail hub and Visy.
Cr Mack said it would also provide impetus for further housing estates on the northside of Thurgoona.
"We're looking at master planning that whole precinct now because this particular part of the infrastructure is ticked off," Cr Mack said.
"We're pretty excited because this links up Elizabeth Mitchell Drive and Kerr Road, so the Kerr Road interchange can come across from right out at Wirlinga and we can start filling in those growth corridors.
"Brooklyn Fields is one of the biggest parts of that corridor and the developers there are pretty excited that this particular crossing is being built right now because it value adds to what they can do."
Ms Ley noted the need for the southern ramps had "grown steadily" since the opening of the Albury-Wodonga freeway in 2007.
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"Completing the interchange will also reduce heavy vehicle volumes at both the Thurgoona and Borella Road interchanges, which reduces congestion and improves safety for local traffic, and reduces road maintenance issues caused by extra heavy vehicles," Ms Ley said.
Mr Clancy said the Davey Road development would employ up to 100 people over its 12-month construction period.
The Davey Road bridge over the freeway and existing exits will be shut to traffic from January 11 when work begins following a Christmas-New Year break.
That means those travelling north along the old Hume Highway will be able to travel no further than the Billy Hughes Bridge and the southbound ramp will also be barricaded.
Concrete blocks will line freeway shoulders near the construction work, with the speed limit cut from 110km/h to 80km/h while crews are on-site.
The limit will drop to 40km/h and freeway lanes closed for brief periods.
Work will be done from 7am to 5pm on weekdays and from 8am to 1pm on Saturdays, with progress updates to be available at www.livetraffic.com.
