Hume Freeway ramps completed under budget and Albury Council keen to reap savings

It is estimated the work, which was jointly funded by the federal and NSW governments, has been done with $3 million unspent.

Albury Council is now lobbying them to have that money spent on other works, including links from Davey Road to Elizabeth Mitchell Drive and Kerr Road in Thurgoona-Wirlinga.

Farrer MP Sussan Ley and Albury MP Justin Clancy, who jointly opened the ramps with Albury mayor Kevin Mack, said they would be pushing for the saved money to be spent in the city.

"Absolutely I will be arguing for that, I don't like to see money going back into the Treasury coffers if it can be out in regional Australia," Ms Ley said.

Mr Clancy echoed that sentiment: "I will be certainly advocating for that."

The ramps opened are on the southern side of Davey Road and now allow for a full interchange at the freeway access point which is close to the council's Nexus industrial estate and the Ettamogah rail hub.

It's estimated they would have cost $6 million if built as part of Albury's freeway project which opened in 2007.

"I see it as the icing on the cake for the freeway upgrade in this region," Ms Ley said.

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"Back then we didn't realise the importance of Nexus industrial estate to jobs and manufacturing growth in the region, we didn't realise how many people would be moving out into new residential estates in Thurgoona and north and that makes it even more important."

Truck traffic is tipped to plummet along parts of Wagga Road and Thurgoona Drive because of the ramps which had struggled to draw NSW government funding over a number of years.

Cr Mack also expects the road project to result in a service centre being built in the area.

"I'm extremely confident a service centre will be here in the next five years," he said.

"They've been talking to us for 10 years, this has been a major focus of their attention for 10 years.

"They have land earmarked, at this point they're in negotiations with a private owner."

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