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Federal Member for Hunter | State Member for Cessnock | Cessnock Chamber of Commerce | Singleton Shire Council
Joel Fitzgibbon MP
MEMBER FOR HUNTER
SHADOW MINISTER FOR RESOURCES
Just prior to Easter 1988 another section of the F3 Freeway was opened spilling National Highway (NH) traffic into Cessnock and a number of towns along Main Road 220, which links Freeman's Water Holes and Branxton. For me, there commenced a 14-year-long campaign to have a high standard road constructed to link the F3 Freeway to the New England Highway north/west of Branxton.
My view then and now is that while such a road link project is expensive, the economic benefits it will bring to the lower and upper Hunter, the northwest and central west regions make the expenditure more than justifiable.
In the early 1990s I welcomed a decision by the then Federal Government to commission a study into a range of F3, New England Highway link options. In June 1993 on behalf of the Australian Labor Party I made a written submission to the consultants of the "study project", urging the construction of the road and the adoption of the so-called Option C. Option C was one of the five route possibilities put forward by the consultant.
There commenced the long running battle to secure the State and Commonwealth funding necessary to complete the Kurri Corridor. When former Federal Transport Minister, Laurie Brereton, came to the Hunter in late 1995 to inspect the proposed Kurri Corridor the Belford Bends Deviation Project and the Muswellbrook bypass proposal, all looked to be well in terms of the Hunter's key road transport issues.
However, the election of the Howard Government in March 1996 and subsequent National Highway budget cuts in the first Howard Budget caused all three projects to slow considerably. Since the election of the Howard Government $6 million has been allocated with no commitment for construction funds for the Project.
The road funding relationship between the Commonwealth and the States is a complex one. The Federal Government has total responsibility for the funding of the National Highway but the design and construction works are undertaken by the State.
Since my election in 1996 I've spoken about the Kurri Corridor in the Parliament on no less than ten occasions and I will go on fighting for project funding. I'm confident that the chances of securing the necessary funding to complete the project in an acceptable time-frame will be greater under a Labor Government in Canberra but the State Government has an important role to play as well!
Kerry Hickey MP
STATE MEMBER FOR CESSNOCK
As the Local Member of Parliament for the Cessnock Electorate I have given, and will continue to give my full support to any initiatives aimed at getting this important piece of road infrastructure in place.
I have spoken in the NSW Legislative Assembly on the issue of the F-3 link road many times.
As the local member I am proud of the support this project has received from Hunter communities, local governments, business and the self-motivated community action group “Support the Link or Sink”.
The road that is currently on paper, when completed will provide excellent economic opportunities not just for the Cessnock Electorate, but also for all areas from the Upper Hunter, the North Western regions to the ports of Newcastle and Sydney.
Janette Jackson
President
Cessnock Wine Country Chamber of Commerce
An active advocate of the Kurri Corridor project for several years, the Chamber has used every opportunity to promote the benefits it would bring to our city. While recognising the regional economic benefits this project would provide, the issues that effect Cessnock are much closer to home.
Our main street, Vincent Street, is long, narrow, unattractive and heavily congested with the through traffic of cars and more particularly trucks. The completion of the Kurri Corridor would encourage many of these heavy vehicles, currently using our community as a bypass, to continue through to the New England Highway by remaining on the Freeway.
We are going through an exciting period in Cessnock with the commencement of the refurbishment of the CBD and the approval of the Hunter Employment Zone (HEZ). The $10 million of state funding currently being spent on improving traffic flows through the CBD will also improve its aesthetics, which in turn will boost retail and consumer confidence in our community.
The funding of the Kurri Corridor, the single most important transport infrastructure project in our region, will add value to the HEZ. The HEZ, a project of regional significance, will attract a range of industries that will broaden our economic base and provide much needed jobs in our community.
The Chamber has proactively and constructively worked with those organisations throughout the region that have identified the Kurri Corridor as a significant transport infrastructure project and will continue to lobby to ensure funds are committed to the project.
Don Gray
Economic Development Officer
Singleton Council
Singleton Council is enthusiastic about this exciting new method of highlighting the need and importance to the Upper Hunter of the F3 Freeway Extension.
Using electronic means to advise the broader community of the economic and social benefits of this project can only help decision makers realise the need to raise the priority of funding for this important piece of infrastructure.
The communities of the Hunter Valley and beyond will now have access to a useful tool that can be used to assist with planning and promoting the future of the region.
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