Tenterfield Council wants State to rethink local road classifications

A Tenterfield delegation has asked the State Transport Minister to change the classifications of two roads in the Shire.
Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay led the delegation including Mayor Toby Smith and General Manager Don Ramsland to meet the Minister during Parliament.
The Shire is asking the government to retain Bruxner Highway West as a State Road and to upgrade a section of Mt Lindesay Highway to State Road status.
“The Minister gave us a fair hearing and he is now fully briefed on Council’s concerns over the extra costs involved in maintaining these two heavily used sections of road,” Mr Torbay said.
“I will continue to work with Tenterfield Council to maintain the pressure to have these classifications changed.”
Council has estimated it will cost its rate payers an extra $180,000 annually to maintain the 82.4 km section of Bruxner West Highway between Tenterfield and Inverell.
The Minister was told the declassification of the road would inevitably lead to it being less well maintained and left with no central marking because Council lacked the resources available at State level.
Further increases in heavy vehicle traffic were expected on the section of the Bruxner Highway through greater mining activity and agricultural growth in the area.
At the meeting Cr Smith and Mr Ramsland also emphasised the increase in traffic on the 52.3km section of Mt Lindesay Highway between Legume and Woodenbong justified it being upgraded to a State Road.
They argued that it had become the main passage from the Woolworths distribution centre to the north coast with more than 15 heavy vehicles using it each day.