Four years on, still no release date for Wagga Urban Highway Study

Committee for Wagga has advocated for an alternative heavy vehicle route since 2015. Along with Wagga Wagga City Council we eagerly await the release of the Wagga Place Plan, incorporating the Wagga Urban Highway Study, in early 2021.

The Wagga Place Plan is expected to guide the strategy of and take a long-term integrated approach to the future of transport in Wagga Wagga. It is a key document in planning the future growth of our city.

The article below by Annie Lewis was published by the Daily Advertiser on 19th November 2020.

Four years on, still no release date for Wagga Urban Highway Study

Wagga Wagga highway bypass options put forward in the Committee 4 Wagga's Master Transport Plan in 2015.

A LONG-DELAYED study into the possibility of building a bypass to divert heavy vehicles away from Wagga's city centre is finally set for a belated release early next year.

The NSW government-funded Wagga Urban Highway Study was originally due to be handed down by the end of 2016.

In light of National Road Safety Week, mayor Greg Conkey expressed frustration that he was yet to hear the findings.

"It's a waste at the moment," he said.

"It was completed some time ago, so where is it? We don't know? What does it say? We have no idea?"

Cr Conkey said as the city needs to grow, the issue needs to be dealt with as soon as possible and pleaded with Transport for NSW and the Minister for Regional roads to reveal the findings.

"Please release it," he said. "It's been a long time coming."

A Transport for NSW spokesperson said the Wagga Urban Highway Study was due to be released early next year. But, a specific day has still not been revealed and this is not the first time the study has been promised.

The Daily Advertiser was told in 2017 that the results would be handed down later that year.

Michael Quirk, chairperson for the Committee 4 Wagga, said the congestion and the lack of traffic flow is the key issue, but a decision cannot be made without the report. .

"If we had the plan earlier then we would be in a position to get some of the money the government is handing out for infrastructure," he said.

"We missed the boat with the NSW Budget."

Mr Quirk said the final study was also not the "fix-all", as plans would still need to be developed.

"A lot of work will still need to be done," he said.

"Whether it's traffic lights, whether it's roundabouts, or whether it's a bypass."

This week, as well as asking when the report would be put out, The Daily Advertiser also queried why it had not been released and how can the data still be considered relevant.

All the spokesperson said in response was that the Urban Highway Study was developed by the former Roads and Maritime Services to support consideration of an alternate route for heavy vehicles.

"The study has been incorporated into the Wagga Place Plan, a place-based transport plan for the city which will be released by Transport for NSW early next year," they said.

"The Wagga Urban Highway Study, prepared by the former Roads and Maritime Services, is one of many attachments to the plan.

"Transport for NSW will continue to liaise with Wagga Wagga City Council on the development of the plan."