THE Pitt Town Progress Association wants a firm date for the start of the Pitt Town bypass.
The long-awaited bypass appears to be inching ever closer, but as of yet, no date has been announced for the start of construction work.
Member for Hawkesbury Dominic Perrottet has promised that the bypass will begin construction within the current term of government.
Pitt Town Progress Association president Peter Ryan told the Gazette he did not doubt Mr Perrottet’s promise, but would feel more comfortable knowing there was a concrete start date.
“We really need to have a date for when construction will start,” he said.
Mr Perrottet issued a statement recently saying that preparatory work had begun for the bypass and intersection improvement works in town.
“Residents have told me about the need for better traffic flow and safety around the town centre. These improvements fix that and also better connect McGraths Hill and Cattai,” Mr Perrottet said via a prepared statement.
“The Pitt Town bypass will provide better travel times on Pitt Town and Cattai roads. It’s great news for families who’ll be able to get their kids to and from school faster and have more time together in the evenings.”
Money was allocated for the bypass in the NSW Budget to the tune of $6.5 million. A spokesperson for Mr Perrottet said at the time the construction of the project would begin at some point in 2019.
Mr Ryan said the community simply wanted the bypass to get started.
“We thank Mr Perrottet for his commitment to these projects, but we need the delivery of the Pitt Town Bypass and road works fast tracked,” he said.
“There are currently more than 400 large sand truck movements per day through our town centre. With significant infrastructure happening now and in the future, through out Sydney, these numbers are increasing.
“We have hundreds of new residents in our town, who have collectively been levied millions of dollars, for these upgrades over the last 10 years. They deserve the delivery of these works fast tracked and not delivered in dribs and drabs.”
Roads and Maritime Services refused to say whether there was a start date when contacted by the Gazette.
“Roads and Maritime Services is continuing with investigations and development of the environmental assessment for a bypass of Pitt Town, based on the preferred design option which was released in March last year,” a spokesperson said.
“Roads and Maritime will work with the community and key stakeholders on the Review of Environmental Factors which is expected to be on display for community consultation later this year.”
