Asked to comment on Fairfax Media’s Fix it Now campaign in Moruya on Monday, March 26, the Bega MP said he had spoken to Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack about highway funding.

“I raised it with the Deputy Prime Minister in a meeting two weeks ago,” Mr Constance said.

“It is vital we work with (Gilmore MP) Ann Sudmalis to try to get something in place to give long-term surety, so you would, in essence, duplicate the road south of the Jervis Bay turnoff and take in the South Coast electorate and here in the Bega electorate.”

Asked if that work should extend all the way to the border, Mr Constance replied, “ideally”.

“Let us try to get this first stage of (the) Jervis Bay turnoff to Moruya and then Moruya to Bega, and then Bega to the border.”

Mr Constance and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian were in Moruya to announce funding for an artificial reef in the Eurobodalla Shire.

Ms Berejiklian said her government was lobbying the federal government for highway funding.

Asked if the government was pushing for a greater share of the 80:20 Commonwealth-to-state funding agreement, up for grabs again in 2020, the Premier said, “we always do that”.

“We will always look for opportunities to make the Princes Highway stronger,” she said.

“Andrew is probably the strongest advocate in Parliament on that. We know what hazardous stretches of road exist on the highway. As a state government we are doing everything we can." 

Mr Constance said another $1 billion was due to be spent on the highway.

“We have put $1 billion in thus far and we have another $1 billion about to go in contract,” he said.

“It is the state government which will have delivered duplication all the way to the Jervis Bay turnoff. 

“Unfortunately, what you would expect to see with that degree of traffic volume is that it is then going to hit that stretch south of Jervis Bay turnoff to quite literally here (Moruya).

“I have given a speech in the house about the need for when the (Pacific) highway 80-20 funding ends in 2020, that we try to get a similar agreement with Canberra.

“Back in 2004 we had a crash rate period which was higher than the PAC highway on the Princes Highway.” 

Earlier on Monday, he and the Premier had inspected highway works and bridge building at Dignams Creek.

“The progress there is amazing,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“I am hoping we will get cracking onto that even faster. We have identified those parts that need priority and we are getting on with the job.

“I was really pleased to speak to our RMS people on the ground to hear about progress of that particular bridge and Andrew told me about the tragedies that befallen families there recently.  It is terrible. We are looking forward once that bridge opens to having a safer stretch on that part, but obviously we will continue on the work.”

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