House debates

Thursday, 5 March 2015

Statements by Members

Lyne Electorate: Roads

1:37 pm

Photo of David GillespieDavid Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | | Hansard source

The federal coalition is getting on with the job of rolling out our $50 billion infrastructure package. In my electorate of Lyne, the people of the mid-North Coast of New South Wales are now seeing one of the biggest infrastructure projects being rolled out in our region's history, as the $1.05 billion upgrade of the Pacific Highway between Kempsey and Port Macquarie continues to make headway. Federal Labor ripped funding out of the Pacific Highway for years. Now, this government, the Abbott-Truss government, has restored funding to finally get this project and this important piece of national infrastructure back on track.

From next Tuesday, a second span of girders for the overpass bridge at the new Sancrox Road interchange is to be lifted into place, marking another milestone of this component of the Port Macquarie to Kempsey upgrade. It is worth $30 million. While major work at this intersection started in 2014, everyone can see substantial progress in the coming weeks when major components of the overpass are installed. The two bridge spans will be supported by 14 girders over the Pacific Highway. Each girder will be lifted from a truck into its final position on the bridge. A huge crane will be used, and the girders will be secured with temporary bracing. Once in position, the bridge girders will be permanently secured, allowing construction of the bridge deck to begin. In addition to this, there are 933 direct construction jobs and an estimated 2,953 indirect jobs— (Time expired)