Joint Submission for the reclassification of MR 101 to State Road Dungog Shire Council Great Lakes Council Maitland City Council Background This proposal is a joint proposal from Dungog Council, Maitland City Council and Great Lakes Council for the reclassification of MR 101 to State Road for its full length from Maitland to Stroud via Dungog. This proposal could be considered as an alternative route for either the Pacific Highway or New England Highway in the event that these lower portions were untrafficable. It in no way, however, duplicates these routes as it services its own unique population, social, tourist and economic regions. This proposal has the full support of the three local government areas in which it traverses. Supporting evidence for MR101 to be upgraded to a State Road The RTA Road Classification guideline advises that a road may be a State Road if its primary function meets one of three criteria. This joint submission proposes that reclassification of MR 101 from Maitland to Stroud via Dungog to a State Road meets at least two of the three criteria of the Road Classification Guidelines. CRITERIA 2B Links these major NSW towns with each other where there is significant interaction. y Major towns population generally in the range 10,000 to 100,000 but may include slightly smaller centres which provide a wide range of commercial, community and administrative functions to an extensive hinterland and y Primary route exhibiting best operational features and an intention to manage as the major route, and y Significant economic and social interaction exhibited: y Generally minimum AADT greater than 1000, or at least greater than 500 and growing at a faster rate than on surrounding roads. y May include cross border links to interstate major centres. The relevant points are addressed as follows: • Major towns population generally in the range 10,000 to 100,000 but may include slightly smaller centres which provide a wide range of commercial The proposed route for reclassification includes MR 101 from Maitland to Stroud via Dungog. This route links the city of Maitland (pop. 55,000) with the shire of Dungog (pop. 10,000), and further links the shire of Gloucester (pop. 4,600) via the Bucketts Way an already designated ‘Road of National Importance’ (RONI) and the townships of Stroud. This route further provides a connection to the Thurderbolts way linking the communities of the Great Lakes, Dungog and Gloucester shires with regional centers at Armidale. • Significant economic and social interaction exhibited The route provides the primary link between Gloucester, Stroud, Dungog and Maitland, and as such is the main conduit for economic activity in the local government areas of Dungog and Gloucester. Economic activity in these areas includes timber cutting and transport of timber, the transport of coal and quarry products and the primary transport link for agricultural industries such as dairying, beef cattle and poultry. Further, the route links significant state government owned and operated facilities including RIC Quarry at Martins Creek, Tocal Agricultural College, a number of NSW State Forests and National Parks including the Barrington Tops National Park and Chichester and Lostock Dams owned by Hunter Water and State Water respectively. The route is also a significant route for tourism serving both day trippers and longer term tourists visiting the area, primarily visiting such attractions as the Barrington Tops National Park and the Chichester and Lostock Dams. The state government has recently relocated the Department of Mineral Resources and the Police Infringement Processing Bureau to the City of Maitland. There has been further major economic development in the area stimulating additional growth in the region including, major expansion to the Greenhills Shopping center ($45 million), the Tile manufacturing facility at Rutherford ($13 million) and a proposal to relocate Caterpillar regional headquarters in Rutherford ($14 million). • Generally minimum AADT greater than 1000, or at least greater than 500 and growing at a faster rate than on surrounding roads. The AADT on the northern section of MR 101 north of Dungog is 400 increasing to approximately 2300 at the local government boundary between Dungog and Maitland and increasing further to 16,000 near Lorn at the southern section of this road. Within the town centre of Dungog, the traffic counts are approximately 1500 – 2000 vehicles per day. Clearly the traffic volumes on this road exceed 1000 AADT for the majority of its length. The high population and development pressures in conjunction with rising property costs in Sydney and also in Newcastle have seen high growth rates in the City of Maitland and Dungog LGA’s with Dungog preparing a new Local Environmental Plan in 2005 to address the significant growth rates in the shire. In 2004 Maitland had the largest population growth of any inland NSW city. Criteria 3 Links major regions throughout the State with each other. • Provides a long distance connection between regions not already provided for in the network defined by the above criteria or “missing links” that complete long distance connections between the network already defined by the above and • Sustains a high flow of general traffic (generally 500 AADT) over long distances (100km) or • Significant long distance freight or coach route The Dungog and Gloucester LGAs are the “missing link”. There is no State (or Federal) Road servicing these shires at all as shown by Figure 1 below. Figure 1 - Showing lack of State Road network between Pacific, Oxley and New England Highways A State road will link Maitland to Bucketts Way via Dungog and connect a number of Regional Roads from Clarence Town and Gresford to enhance the State Road network. The regions that will be serviced by this road are bounded to the East by the Pacific Highway and the west by the New England Highway north of Hexham. State Roads servicing the lower North Coast between the New England highway and the Pacific Highway are non existent between the confluence of these two major highways at Hexham and the Oxley Highway (approximately 100 km north of Hexham). This lack of linkage between NSW’s two busiest highways and the two major links to Queensland results in a void of transport connections in the Dungog and Gloucester area and limits transport between these two centers to their closest regional centers. • Sustains a high flow of general traffic (generally 500 AADT) over long distances (100km) or The present Regional Road has an AADT of 2000 to 16000 vehicles in the southern portion of the Dungog shire through to Maitland and is seeing a continuing increase in both light and heavy traffic. The distance of the total route from Maitland to the Bucketts Way is in the order of 80 km. The AADT in the Northern section of the route is in the order of 400 vehicles per day. The proportion of heavy vehicles from the RIC quarry and delivering freight, varying from livestock, timber, fertilizers, farm machinery building products etc on this road was recorded at 18% averaged over a 4 week period in 2004! All household and industry supplies must come by road transport because there is no alternative means of freight service. This road is an essential link between the RIC Quarry at Martins Creek and the Bucketts Way and New England Highway in support of railways, roads and industry in the Hunter Region. In order to meet the continuing growth in demand, RIC has increased its output from 373,550 tonnes in 1993/94 to 772,983 tonnes in 2003/04 equivalent to approximately 30,000 loaded truck movements annually. In 1986 approximately 80% of the output from this quarry was transported by rail, but now this situation has been reversed in favour of road transport. • Significant long distance freight or coach route Dungog is situated on the Northern Rail line and a State Road through Dungog will provide a link to the rail network. This rail network is an important transport link for both passenger and freight services. STATE AND REGIONAL ROAD NETWORK REVIEW 2004 DATA ENTRY SHEET Council Dungog Shire Council, Great Lakes Council and Maitland Council High Street, Belmore Road, Paterson Road, Tocal Rd, Gresford Rd, Dungog Rd, Rd Name and No Clarence Town Rd and Stroud Hill Road (all MR 101) From To New England Highway, Maitland to Bucketts Way, Stroud via Dungog Current Proposed Regional Road State Road Classification Classification Proposed road length to be reclassified WITHIN YOUR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA – in Km Sealed, Unsealed and Total Sealed approx 80 km, Unsealed 0 km, Total length 80 km lengths Characteristics of the Road – Section 15.1 of the Guidelines for Submissions Range of AADT Data From 16000 in southern section with 2000 in mid section of road to 500 AADT in Locations and years Northern section % Hvy vehicles 18% Pavement widths 6 m to 18.6m Speed limits 50 km/h to 100 km/h Any weight limits None Pavement type Sprayed bitumen seal Vertical Alignment Flat to 10% grade 35 km/h to 100 km/h design Horizontal alignment Pavement Age 1 yr to 40 yrs curves Number Lanes 2 Type Shoulders Unsealed Functions Served by the Road– Section 15.2 of the Guidelines for Submissions Role of Road in a Regional Highest trafficked road within the Dungog shire. This road links Dungog township to context Maitland and southern areas of the shire and then to the New England Highway. Main Functions Main Link between Dungog and Maitland and Newcastle Towns/Business areas Dungog, Paterson, Stroud, Lorn, Maitland City, Gloucester served Main Services as a Industrial, commercial and residential facilities at Dungog, Paterson, Maitland, Lorn, Town/Business area Bolwarra and Stroud.