Riverina MP Michael McCormack on Tuesday reaffirmed his commitment to spend $2.5 million sealing Dunns Road, but council is not sure whether to proceed.
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It comes after residents called for the deadly rat run to be closed to through traffic in the wake of another nasty smash on New Year’s Day.
A woman who ploughed her car into a tree along Dunns Road is still in hospital in a stable condition, as of Tuesday afternoon.
In the lead-up to July’s federal election, Mr McCormack promised to cover half the $5 million price-tag for sealing the dirt stretch between the Olympic Highway and Holbrook Road.
Mr McCormack has confirmed the department of infrastructure and regional development still has the $2.5 million set aside, waiting for council and Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) to come up with engineering reports and quotes.
“Dunns Road is in a terrible state of disrepair and one way or another it’s a death-trap waiting to happen,” Mr McCormack said.
“It’s an up hill and down dale road, some people fly over those hills and whilst it’s unsealed, it’s dangerous.
“How do you police a road that is only open to local residents?
“You can’t stop people using a public road and I maintain it’s a good idea to seal it.”
However, council general manager Alan Eldridge told Mr McCormack on Tuesday he had received correspondence from residents pleading for the notorious stretch to be closed instead.
What’s more, Mr Eldridge believes the Kapooka Bridge upgrade and close proximity of Dunns Road to the Red Hill Road arterial meant “the feasibility of the project needs to be reassessed”.
“The current alignment of Dunns Road does not meet design standards for a sealed road, which means major works would be required,” Mr Eldridge said
“Since the funding announcement, a number of community members have voiced concerns both for and against the sealing of Dunns Road.
“Council will need to contribute at least $2.5 million to the project, so it’s important we undertake community consultation to ensure sealing Dunns Road will result in value for the community’s money.”
Council closed the road to fix its most dangerous aspects back in 2004, but the Rural Fire Service warned a Dunns Road dead end had the potential to trap motorists and volunteers in the event of a bush-fire.
