The power of persuasion has worked wonders in securing a major upgrade for the busy Marys Mount Road and Crookwell Road intersection.
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Transport for NSW has relented, agreeing to fully fund the $900,000 project, which must be built by mid- year.
The council had hit hurdles trying to convince the authority to do the work on the State road to Crookwell. In a recent meeting, Transport for NSW had offered to pay $600,000 of the cost.
But Mayor Bob Kirk scored a breakthrough following a further meeting between the parties on Monday.
"The mayor led very strong representations that the extra $300,000 shouldn't be on council, given it was a State road," general manager Warwick Bennett told Tuesday night's council meeting.
"Today we have received advice that they would not only pay the $300,000, but the whole $900,000. We're very excited about it."
The only condition is that it must be built by July. The council is reorganising its works program to suit.
The work will include widening of Crookwell Road, enabling a right hand turn-in lane to improve access to Marys Mount Road. Pedestrian refuge islands and kerb and gutter works will also be incorporated.
Mayor Bob Kirk said the improvement was vitall for Marys Mount, the city's "fastest growing suburb." The Goulburn Mulwaree Urban and Fringe Housing Strategy has forecast even more growth.
"It's essential that this intersection is upgraded to ensure the safety of our community on these roads," he said in a statement.
Some residents like Perc Carter have argued in the past that a previously mooted roundabout would disrupt traffic flow.
Major developer, Ganter Constructions, has lobbied for an intersection upgrade for many years, but disagreed with a roundabout which the council initially suggested and then abandoned.
Ganter spokesman Phillip Toparis previously told The Post that there were already enough roundabouts on Marys Mount Road and that acceleration and deceleration lanes were preferred at the intersection. He said in 2018 that they should have been built years before, using developers' section 94 contributions years ago.
Mr Toparis maintained that banked up traffic leading to the interesection, particularly around 9am and 3pm, was a safety hazard.
Following the company's submission on the draft 2018/19 budget, the council commissioned a traffic study of Marys Mount. At the same time, it continued lobbying Roads and Maritime Service (now Transport for NSW) to fund the intersection upgrade.
In a meeting last November, Mr Bennett said TfNSW "flat out refused" to contribute to the project. He told councillors at the time that his subsequent strongly worded email had "struck a nerve," resulting in agreement for a follow-up meeting.
However, a TfNSW spokesman told The Post the authority hadn't received a formal council request for the funding.
But with monetary hurdles now cleared, preliminary work is expected to begin within weeks. Council funds allocated for the project can be redirected in light of the State funding.
Pedestrian path
In related developments, the council earlier this month awarded a $499,871 tender to Arncliffe-based Planet Civil to build a shared pedestrian pathway in the area.
It will stretch from Marys Mount Road to the Wollondiily Riverwalk and include a river crossing next to Fitzroy Bridge, similar to that at Gibson Street.
A staff report stated the 2.5 metre wide by 450m long path would provide pedestrian and bicycle connections between Mary Martin Drive, Marys Mount Road, Riverside Park and nearby subdivisions. The project will be completed by May, using a $723,253 State Active Transport Program grant.
The remaining $223,471 will be spent on handrails, landscaping and concrete works associated with the path.
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