A new overtaking lane on the Newell Highway, six kilometres south of Tocumwal, has been constructed with a team comprised of one third locals.
As part of the $500 million Newell Highway Upgrade program, this project is one of 30 overtaking lanes being built over the next four years. Transport for NSW partnered with BMD and AECOM as the Newell Highway Alliance to undertake these works.
Of the 87 people employed to undertake this project, one third were Tocumwal locals, with 20 subcontractors.
This lane stretches 1.5 kilometres and will act as a northbound overtaking lane at Chinama’s Road. So far, 15 overtaking lanes have been constructed as part of the Newell Highway Upgrade program.
Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Premier Steph Cooke said the mix of local, Aboriginal, and female workers demonstrates the Alliance’s commitment to gender, diversity and community engagement.
“Tocumwal can be proud of the local businesses and workers who played a part in delivering the latest overtaking lane for the Newell Highway,” Cooke said.
“To complement the expertise of our capable local workforce, the project also used innovative engineering and technology to carry out the upgrade, resulting in minimal disruption for road users and a safer environment for construction workers.”
A tiny surveyor ‘robot’ was used on the project for line marking, in order to keep surveyors out of the construction zone and away from live traffic.
Work started on this lane in May and was completed in late November.
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