Roads Reclassification

To help inform Gilgandra Shire Council’s submission, they are inviting the community to have your say through their online feedback form and through face to face sessions at The GIL.

Gilgandra Shire Council’s general manager, David Neeves said the roads classification review involves the potential transfer of up to 15,000 kilometres of council owned and managed roads to state management.

“Council staff recently participated in workshops to understand the process and potential implications of reclassifying roads and the matter was also considered council’s ordinary meeting held in August,” Mr Neeves said.

“Several roads within the Gilgandra shire were identified as potentially being worthy of consideration for reclassification. Some roads like the Eumungerie–Narromine Road are maintained by council but funded by the state, with there now an opportunity to suggest this road is managed and maintained by the one authority, given it connects heavy vehicles from Eumungerie to Tomin-gley”, said Mr Neeves.

Hargraves Lane is a regional road, however Federation Street is currently a different classification. These roads have both experienced an increase in heavy vehicle traffic particularly during harvest and also in preparation for the construction of the inland rail. The reclassification review provides an opportunity to have both roads classified the same and attract similar funding. 

Miller Street is a state highway funded by the state meaning TfNSW approval is required to close the road and hold events such as ANZAC Day or Winter Wonderland. Council also does not have the authority to restrict wide or oversize loads from using the main street. Transferring this to a regional road classification has some potential community benefits however, community and business feedback is required. With the funding announcement last year by the federal government that the Coo-namble-Tooraweenah Road would be sealed, council said there is also an opp-ortunity to propose the unsealed section of National Park Road and the Toora-weenah to Mendooran Road be also sealed and for this entire section to be reclassified as a regional road.

The benefits would be to improve the road from Mendooran to Tooraweenah providing better connectivity to Toora-weenah and the Warrumbungle National Park. The state government has extended the consultation period to allow council time to seek community input and adjo-ining councils to form a united position on roads that span two or more local government areas.

Council has identified a number of roads to be considered as part of the consultation process, and are now seeking community input to assist finalisation of their submission:

• Hargraves Lane and Federation Streets for consideration to be reclassified as part of the state road network. Federation Street for consideration to be reclassified as a regional road if Hargraves Lane and Federation Streets do not satisfy the criteria for reclassification as state roads.
• The section of Eumungerie Road under Gilgandra shire’s control for reclassification as a state road.
• Tooraweenah Road for consideration to be reclassified as a regional road.
• National Park Road in its entirety for consideration to be reclassified as a regional road.
• Consider declassification of Miller Street to a local road in round two of the classification review.