Ms Saffin last week joined school bus proprietor Stephen Ross, of HR and AM Roos Pty Ltd, to inspect four blind bends at Sunnyside on Bruxner Way, the worst one of which will be targeted by a works program during the second half of this year.
Mr Ross and local residents have been campaigning for years to have the bends fixed by removing granite outcrops to improve sight lines and he thanked Ms Saffin for being the first politician to come and see the situation for herself.
“Tenterfield Shire Council’s engineering staff have been supportive so it is great that we are finally seeing some action because my priority is for the safety of 56 students who travel on my bus every school day,” Mr Ross said.
Ms Saffin said Mr Ross had one of the longest school bus runs in New South Wales — amounting 320 kilometres a day — and the introduction of B-doubles a few years ago had made Bruxner Way much busier for all drivers who used it.
“The road is becoming an important freight link between Tenterfield and the west with more heavy transports, including to the lime mine in Goondiwindi Shire and the Whyalla feedlot in Texas, and increased traffic in general,” Ms Saffin said.
“I hope that if and when the State Government takes back responsibility for this regional road from council that more funding will flow so that the three other bad bends identified by Mr Ross can get attention.”
Tenterfield Shire chief executive Terry Dodds confirmed council had received a $711,000 Roads and Maritime Services grant eight years ago and some of that funding had been spent on acquiring land to enable the proposed improvement works.
Monday, June 17, 2019.
Media contact: Peter Ellem 0437 303 875.
