Paving the way: Council invests $16m in road improvements

Published on 01 November 2024

Lake Macquarie City Council is driving towards better infrastructure across the LGA, with more than $16 million worth of new and upgraded roads planned this financial year.

Lake Macquarie Mayor Adam Shultz said the spend would include a $3.4 million rehabilitation of two roads in Balmoral, a $2.5 million upgrade of Elizabeth Parade, Charlestown and a $1.7 million revamp of South Parade, Blackalls Park.

“These important projects improve amenity and safety for all road users,” he said.

“They’re in addition to the major upgrades coming online elsewhere in the city, including a $7 million overhaul of Watkins Road in Wangi Wangi.”

“That project included almost 1km of new footpath linking Wangi’s shops with Wangi Point Holiday Park, a fantastic result for the thousands of people who holiday there each year.”

Council Manager Asset Management Karen Partington said more than 6km of new footpaths and shared paths had been laid across Lake Macquarie in 2023-2024, adding to the 675km already in place.

“We’re constantly expanding the city’s network of footpaths and shared pathways to build connectivity in our suburbs and encourage walking, cycling and other forms of active transport,” she said.

Ms Partington said road rehabilitation projects like Watkins Road were prioritised based on a range of criteria, including safety, existing road condition and usage numbers.

“We have one of the largest regional LGAs in NSW, with a total of 1370km roads under our control,” she said.

“There is always more to do but we’re working hard to target the roads that need our attention most.”

Find out more about roads and scheduled roadworks at lakemac.com.au.