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Works begin on $187m Parkes Bypass

Major work for a 10.5-kilometre section of the Newell Highway officially began yesterday as part of the Parkes Bypass Project.

It’s the biggest ever infrastructure project for the town and is expected to divert 1200 heavy vehicles and other traffic from the main town centre every day once the bypass is complete – expected to be in 2024.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce says bypassing the town of Parkes has been on the cards for years.

“In August, Georgiou Group was charged with managing the three-year construction of the bypass, and now we’re wasting no time assembling crews to start site establishment and vegetation clearing work.”

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole says the bypass is the latest project rolling out along the Newell Highway as part of a record investment aimed to deliver improved safety, boosted freight productivity and reduced travel times between the Victorian and Queensland borders.

“The Federal and NSW Governments are investing $1.455 billion to transform journeys along the freight backbone of NSW, and the Parkes bypass is the jewel in the crown of this investment,” Toole said.

“We’ve just hit the halfway mark of our $228 million commitment to build 40 overtaking lanes along the Newell Highway and the Parkes bypass will further support the regional freight task in NSW, which is expected to increase by 12 per cent to 286 million tonnes moving across our road network by 2036.”

In addition to the 10.5-kilometre western bypass of Parkes, works will also include bridges over existing railway lines and connections to the Parkes Special Activation Precinct to leverage the Inland Rail project and the existing freight logistics hub.

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