Shellharbour City Council has welcomed the announcement of $992,000 in funding towards improvements to Bass Point Tourist Road.
The works will improve the road’s surface and create a road reserve that will be more resilient to natural disasters and severe weather events.
The funding will go towards approvals and construction of a sealed road on the existing road alignment, including the installation of stormwater drainage infrastructure.
Approximately 2km of Bass Point Tourist Road will undergo resurfacing work, from the main entrance gate to the Bushrangers Bay car park.
The funding is through the Infrastructure Betterment Fund, comprising Federal and NSW State Government contributions. Council is also contributing $300,000 plus in-kind funding to the project, bringing the total funding to almost $1.3m.
The Infrastructure Betterment Fund is focused on building back essential public assets, such as roads, bridges and drainage impacted by the storm and flood events in 2021 and 2022.
Mayor Homer said he was delighted with the funding announcement, which would benefit the local community as well as visitors to the area.
“I thank the State and Federal Governments for this funding and their support for this important project,” Mayor Homer said.
Shellharbour Mayor Chris Homer has been a strong supporter of securing more funding for the city’s roads.
In December 2022, Mayor Homer put forward a Mayoral Minute to join with Local Government NSW in declaring a Statewide Road Emergency, seeking immediate action from the Federal and State Governments to undertake critical road repairs after the year’s severe weather and flooding events.
The Mayoral Minute was unanimously endorsed by all Councillors, which aligned with the grant application to the State Government.
“Bass Point is one of our most beautiful and ecologically sensitive areas. It is also extremely popular and attracts a large number of visitors who travel there mostly by car. This project will significantly improve the safety of the road and provide a better experience for visitors.
“Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters, so it is vitally important that all levels of government work together to boost the resilience of our public assets.
Mayor Homer also thanked the Shellharbour City Council staff who worked to secure the funding.
“Our staff work extremely hard to get the best outcomes for our community. I thank them for their skill and dedication in putting together funding submissions like this one.”
The project is expected to be completed in mid-2025.
