The first section of the upgrade to the Pulpulla Road, the access road to the Mount Grenfell heritage site north west of Cobar, is due to be sealed today.
Cobar Shire Council staff and contractors are working with Transport for NSW to seal the 30km section of road from the Barrier Highway to the historical aboriginal site which is also a popular tourist spot.
The project received $5 million funding from the Fixing Local Roads program with a co-contribution from Council of $568,500.
Council’s director of infrastructure ser-vices, Scott Casey reports works completed to date include: the formation of an embank-ment layer (road); carting, laying, forming and compacting 30km of base material; and the trimming of a 12km section ready to be sealed today.
Mr Casey said while there have been some minor interruptions due to wet weather and COVID restrictions, overall it has not affect-ed the progress of the project in a significant way.
He said the project is actually ahead of schedule and is due to finish late October early November.
It does however depend upon any further lockdowns and the continued contractor availability.
Mr Casey said NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and landholders have been extremely helpful and accommodating throughout the project.
He said Council also appreciates the pa-tience and understanding of the public due to the entire road and National Park being closed during the construction work.
A spokesperson for Transport for NSW said the project will provide reliable access to the Mt Grenfell Reserve for tourists and locals alike.
“Currently, the general road conditions are poor and some sections are only passable by 4WD.
“The current unsealed road can get washed away in large sections after small rainfall events,” the spokesperson said.
“This project will reduce Cobar Shire Council’s maintenance costs that arise after
