Plans for an eastbound overpass at Maitland’s choked Church Street roundabout won’t shift the bottleneck to East Maitland, according Premier Barry O’Farrell.
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Despite the worst fears of Maitland’s gridlocked motorists Mr O’Farrell confidently told the Mercury on Thursday it was a good fix.
“The RMS [Roads and Maritime Services] data shows that once you move away from the roundabouts it flows quite well,” he said.
Mr O’Farrell inspected the site yesterday but did not attend a community meeting last night, instead choosing Newcastle, where he spoke about the creation of 400 jobs at Tomago.
About 50 people met with RMS staff at the Monte Pio and described the eastbound flyover as half baked.
Rick Banyard, a frequent New England Highway traveller, said the plans were myopic.
“The RMS has admitted they don’t have a strategic plan for the effects this will have on traffic between Metford and Lochinvar,” he said.
“This seems to be an expensive way to achieve half a solution.
“Now they want to spend $35 million on one roundabout and that only leaves a little bit for a patch on the hospital roundabout.”
As part of the community consultation meeting, RMS staff showed computer models for 8.30am traffic – the Premier’s preferred option.
Sections of the audience aired concerns the model should instead have displayed late afternoon traffic, when snarls were worse.
The RMS anticipated the Hunter Expressway would remove as much as 60 per cent of traffic from the New England Highway through Maitland, but would increase again over the subsequent 10 years - resulting in as much traffic passing through the railway roundabout in 2026 as in 2012.
Maitland MP Robyn Parker defended the plan despite criticism it would shift the bottleneck.
“It’s the same amount of traffic and the modelling shows that this works,” she said.
“We will have to go back to the begging bowl once it’s completed, for Rutherford.”
Mr O’Farrell met with representatives of the RMS shortly before rush hour and was happy that the community had contributed to the revised plans.
“The good news is these plans have been modified to reflect the community’s wishes,” he said.
“I can’t say that construction will start this financial year or construction will start next financial year, because that is a question for the RMS.
“The sooner the shovels are in the ground the better because the people of Maitland have waited too long already.”
Residents are urged to provide input on the plans by September 17 at www.rta.nsw.gov.au
