19 May 2014

Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor has outlined next steps toward duplication of the Barton Highway.

Mr Taylor said the Federal Budget reconfirmed funding of $8.62 million over the forward estimates for improving the Barton Highway.

“In a tight fiscal environment, the new Budget is a signal the Federal Government is standing firm on its commitment to the Barton Highway.

“The McIntosh Circuit upgrade, valued at $4.6 million, will start later this calendar year and involve building turning lanes onto the highway and improving lighting.

“The Federally funded $4.5 million realignment of the highway and construction of a turning lane just south of Murrumbateman has been completed this month.”

Mr Taylor said finally, after many years, there was strong progress on the Barton. “We have never before had a detailed, costed plan on duplication of the Barton Highway.”

Speaking on ABC Radio Canberra last week Mr Taylor said: “I was appalled to discover when we got into Government, there was actually no work done on how we duplicate the Barton. I’ve put together a group, we’ve got funding for that and that is proceeding. In parallel with that, we’re fixing the worst part of the road, so at Murrumbateman we’re putting in significant money now to fix a bad problem there, where there was an accident very recently. My job now is to get this progressive, staged approach to the Barton done. When you duplicate a road - and just look at the way it was done on the Hume and Federal Highways - you do it in stages. Let’s get a staged duplication plan, where we do piece by piece by piece. Inevitably it will start at the Canberra end and this is a really important project for Canberra and the region.”

He said the newly established steering committee, overseeing the Barton Highway Corridor Improvement Strategy, met in Yass last Thursday and was soon to announce the appointment of a consultant to undertake the master plan.