Support the Campaign to Upgrade Picton Road

This month, the Picton Road Motorway Coalition was officially launched; a broad-based community and business partnership to advocate for the complete upgrade of Picton Road to motorway standard, including the Wilton Interchange, by 2025.

The Coalition has been formed to represent businesses and community members across the Illawarra and Wollondilly council areas affected by economic and capacity constraints and safety issues posed by the existing road.

Backed by the Illawarra Business Chamber, the Coalition has already been joined by a large and influential group of major businesses that are affected by the limitations of the existing road; all of whom support the economic case for upgrading Picton Road to dual lane separated motorway.

Currently the 32-kilometre Picton Road has only 8 kilometres of passing lanes in both directions at intervals and has seen 90 accidents between 2012 and 2016. Research commissioned in 2017 by Illawarra First and the NRMA found that Picton Road will reach peak hour capacity in 2025, and that the duplication project would deliver $42 million per annum in economic benefits and save the community 3,100 vehicle hours per day.

The Coalition is calling on the Commonwealth and NSW governments to agree to jointly fund the upgrade of the road to motorway standard by 2025, including the Wilton Interchange at the Hume Highway.

Over six weeks, the Coalition will be inviting businesses and community members alike to join the campaign and show their support, and will highlight six fundamental reasons for why Picton Road should be upgraded.

Foundation members Nathaniel Smith MP, Wollongong City Council, Wollondilly Shire Council, and the Illawarra Business Chamber have invited residents and businesses to join the Coalition’s efforts to attain a commitment from state and federal governments to fund and build the motorway.

“The state of Picton Road is a major issue for both residents and businesses in South-Western Sydney, and so I’m joining with them today to call for a significant upgrade of the road for the benefit of both community safety and the local economy,” said Nathaniel Smith MP, Member for Wollondilly.

“I will be speaking with my Parliamentary colleague the Minister for Transport and Roads, The Hon Andrew Constance MP, and my federal colleague the Member for Hume, The Hon Angus Taylor MP, to express the concerns of businesses and the community. I will be strongly advocating for the funding of this project,” Mr Smith added.

“Picton Road carries nearly 21,000 vehicles a day, which is growing at around eight percent per year. It is a vital corridor to and from our region, no longer up to task and largely neglected by government,” said Cr Gordon Bradbery AM, Lord Mayor of Wollongong.

“I’m happy to be joining the state member Nathaniel Smith, as well as our friends from Wollondilly as a cross-regional partnership to get this road upgraded.”

“As chair of the Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation of Councils I acknowledge the significance of Picton Road is a vital East/West economic link for the region and beyond. It has major implications for the flow of materials, goods and services in and out of Port Kembla, the Illawarra and the South Coast. This upgrade would have major benefits well beyond the immediate area and would significantly improve our State transport links,“ said Cr Bradbery.

“Today we’re calling on businesses and the community to join our coalition and ask state and federal governments to take action to deliver a Picton Road Motorway for our growing communities,” said Cr Matthew Deeth, Mayor of Wollondilly.

“With the significant population growth we expect in the Wollondilly over coming years, it is essential that we have a commitment to a road that is fit for purpose,” said Cr Deeth.

“My members have been clear that this is an economic issue as well as a safety one, and our evidence base demonstrates clearly that Picton Road is one of the most heavily congested freight corridors in the state,” said Adam Zarth, Executive Director of the Illawarra Business Chamber.

“The future growth of the economies of the Illawarra and south-western Sydney rely on Picton Road being upgraded to four, separated lanes before it reaches capacity in 2025, and so we now need governments to deliver this vital infrastructure,” said Mr Zarth.

For further information or to join the Picton Road Motorway Coalition as a campaign partner, businesses and community members are invited to visit pictonroad.com and share content from facebook.com/pictonroad.