DEAR News Of The Area,
It seems the newspaper is flogging the dead horse to resurrect another shot at addressing the unacceptable risk of two infamous intersections, Bucketts Way and Medowie Road, as well as roasting Labor politicians.
“Funding promises for highway intersections” (NOTA 17 April 2025) informs me of one certainty, the paper knows nothing of the design history of dual carriageways, particularly locally.
As I suggested in an unpublished letter in 2025, a long, long, long time ago in an office far, far away, a plan was conceived.
Turning a two lane, two way road into separated dual carriageways from the Victorian to Queensland borders with specific on/off ramps that excluded vehicles from making a left or right turn across a carriageway to the other.
Of necessity, to meet this requirement, bypassing villages and towns occurred.
As examples take Karuah and Bulahelah bypasses as to how it should be done, which is easy using Google Earth.
As examples of how it should not be done, take the politically-motivated suggestions for the Bucketts Way, the Medowie Road and Italia Road as cited in the article.
You could add the Myall Way too, whilst you have Google Earth open.
You could ask the likes of Gordon Chirgwin, formally of the Roads and Traffic Authority of NSW.
I respect his opinion because he is correct.
Politicians and reporters firing off the odd angry shot should know better when it comes to funding a design only.
It happens each and every time leading up to an election – local, state and federal.
This is why ‘design’ considerations should be left to the experts, not the wannabes.
A design is the cheapest ‘campaign promise’ any politician can make when only dubious upgrades to intersections are on offer, for all the good they will not do.
Is the “Vision Splendid” long gone?
You would say no looking at the changes to the M1 around Raymond Terrace.
The time to achieve it?
Well, regardless of affiliation (or not), all roads lead to Canberra.
Perhaps now might be a good time to ask the current incumbent: “What went wrong at Nabiac way back when?”
As a not so retired Scientific Officer, Geotechnical and Scientific Services Section, Engineering Technology Branch DMR/RTA/RMS these things are like infidelity, some always knows.
Yours,
Mervyn MCCONNOCHIE,
Karuah.
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