Cabbage Tree Road Upgrade Completed Ahead Of Schedule

BY IAN CROUCH

Christmas has a come early for Port Stephens motorists, with work on the long-overdue rebuild of Cabbage Tree Road at Williamtown completed 3 weeks ahead of schedule.

Work on the 1.3km section of road started in early October and wasn't due for completion until December, forcing westbound motorists to take a 25 kilometre detour just to access their properties.

However, mostly fine weather has allowed staff from Port Stephens Council and the RMS to complete the $1.35 million project in record time.

Port Stephens Duty MLC, Catherine Cusack says the upgrade was desperately needed after years of patch-up work.

"Cabbage Tree Road has not been well constructed in the first place and as a result, it's had little collapses along the way that have required ongoing rectification. It's been an ongoing nightmare, so what was decided was to rectify all the problems with the road base," she said.

Port Stephens Duty MLC, Catherine Cusack

Lemon Tree Passage speed change

BY JESSICA ROUSE

In what some believe is yet another cash grab to raise revenue, the speed limit is changing along parts of Lemon Tree Passage.

The speed limit will be dropped by 10km/hr in some spots from next Tuesday.

It's in a bid to bring down the number of road accidents which happen along the stretch of road. In the five years to December 2015 there were 43 crashes, 33 resulting in injury.

Image portstephensexaminer.com.au

Tourle Street bridge taking shape

BY JARROD MELMETH

The Tourle Street and Cormorant Road duplication at Koorangang is well and truly underway after a major milestone was met with the installation of all bridge piles.

The project was announced in April 2016, with work starting a month later and is being funded by both Federal and State governments aiming to improve traffic flow which often results in bottleneck conditions.

Work is expected to be completed by the second half of 2018 and will feature 3.8 kilometres of road wich will be duplicated between Industrial drive, Mayfield West and Egret Street at Kooragang, providing two lanes in each direction along with a second Tourle Street Bridge.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Catherine Cusack said it's great news for long-suffering motorists.

"For those motorists at the moment who are having to endure all the restrictions that all the road works are placing on the roads.

I want to reassure them that significant progress has been made, and we are really looking forward to this project finishing on budget and on time next year," Ms Cusack said.

Current condition of the project on the Tourle Street Bridge.

Plans to close the iconic Driver Reviver near Beresfield

BY JESSICA ROUSE and JESSICA WORBOYS

The Morisset Lions Club run Driver Reviver station beside the roundabout at the end of the M1 Pacific Motorway near Beresfield could be no more.

The station site is set to become a part of NSW Roads and Maritime Services planned upgrade of the intersection for road widening.

Morisset Lions Club have not only served hundreds of thousands of cups of tea, coffee and handed out millions of biscuits, but have also helped keep down the road toll at the same time.

The decision has saddened and disappointed many, with thousands of people even signing a petition to save the station but to no avail; and no alternative site has been found.

Refilled and replenished, this could be the last Christmas holiday the station is open with the 2017 October long weekend to be its last weekend open.

Image courtesy of NBN News.