communityconnect
FUTURE ROAD NETWORK FOR BALLINA SHIRE Council provides and maintains an extensive road network. We are committed to planning ahead to complete road and traffic upgrades to create an integrated traffic network to meet growing demands. To prepare for this growth and to secure future funding Council is guided by our Roads Contribution Plan. This plan uses population predictions and traffic modelling to determine our community’s future road network needs from 2019 to 2036. To view the plan visit ballina.nsw.gov.au/roadscontribution
FUNDING OUR ROADS
identifies future traffic volumes
New roads cost a considerable amount of money. Ratepayers’ annual rates do not cover the cost of new roads. The proportion of your rates allocated to roads only covers the cost of annual maintenance to our existing road network along with some improvements. This leaves council with a significant shortfall. To help fund new roads, councils across NSW rely on state and federal government grant funding and developer contributions.
is based on approved and proposed land rezoning
Developer contributions build new roads A developer of new residential or commercial land is required to make a contribution to council in accordance with the Roads Contribution Plan. This contribution is used by council to resource the additional and ongoing services attributed to the growth associated with development. The total amount of developer contributions for roads, open space and community facilities is capped by the NSW State Government at $20,000 per residential lot, and $30,000 for new greenfield development subject to NSW Government approval.
COMPREHENSIVE TRAFFIC MODELLING AND DATA Council’s roads plan is based on data and traffic modelling. This modelling:
RMS PROJECTS Cumbalum interchange
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is based on the predicted 2036 population. The modelling predicts the Ballina Shire road network will experience considerable traffic growth, especially around Ballina and Lennox Head as planned urban development occurs. Traffic modelling shows that by 2036 population growth will cause an overload on some of our existing roads. A two-lane road (one lane each way) has the capacity to carry 18,000 vehicles per day. Vehicle numbers beyond this will cause delays and reduce the efficiency of the overall road network. Most major urban road corridors will need to carry more traffic and some of these corridors will be overloaded unless additional capacity with duplication of lanes is provided. In some areas, new road corridors will need to be established to service specific development.
PRIORITISING ROAD PROJECTS Traffic modelling helps us prioritise road construction projects but the rate of development also impacts the amount of road funding available. We adjust the priority of projects to find the balance between the project cost and the funding available from contributions and government grants.
Western arterial versus duplicating Tamarind Drive and River Street Council’s priority is to duplicate our Ballina Island entry roads (Tamarind Drive and River Street) before starting work on the western arterial. This decision has been made based on a number of factors. We can get it done sooner River Street and Tamarind Drive are existing roads and it is less expensive and simpler to widen an existing road than construct a new major road. We are also a lot further along with planning these projects and are now finalising the concept design phase. The western arterial project is expected to take a lot longer because it: needs to progress through the investigation, concept and design stages the road cannot be constructed in stages will cost significantly more and Council cannot currently fund the road construction without impacting other road projects requires the acquisition of several hectares of land not currently owned by council requires a range of environmental and development approvals. Wider community benefit A new four-lane River Street and Tamarind Drive will significantly improve the traffic flow in and out of Ballina. This will take pressure off existing congestion while council investigates a western arterial.
Council continues to receive requests from residents regarding the construction of a south-bound Pacific Highway entry at Cumbalum. Council continues to lobby the NSW State Government, local members and the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) for this on-ramp. To date, the RMS have said this request will not be considered until they complete the Woolgoolga to Ballina Pacific Motorway upgrade. Council understands there is a growing desire and demand for this interchange and we will continue to lobby for the interchange construction.
THE MAGAZINE OF BALLINA SHIRE
