FULL STEAM AHEAD: Member for Orange Andrew Gee and NSW Minister for Roads and Ports Duncan Gay at the Manildra railway crossing that will be given a $1.2 million upgrade next year.
PLANS to improve the Manildra railway crossing were given a jump-start yesterday when NSW Minister for Roads and Ports Duncan Gay released details of a $1.2 million upgrade.
Mr Gay said design work on the Boree Street crossing was already under way.
“The upgrade will include the installation of flashing lights and booms and will be completed by the end of May next year,” Mr Gay said.
“The Manildra upgrade is one of the infrastructure upgrades we are fast-tracking across the state to improve safety. “
Member for Orange Andrew Gee said he had advocated for the upgrade and welcomed the announcement as a win for community safety.
“This is a much-needed project that shows the NSW government is listening to the community,” Mr Gee said.
“We are a government that is delivering on local infrastructure projects and getting on with addressing the huge backlog we have inherited from Labor.
“It might seem like a simple improvement but the upgrade of the Manildra railway level crossing will bring huge benefits to the community.”
Mr Gee said since 2005 there had been 63 collisions involving trains and vehicles at level crossings across the state. Nineteen of those crashes involved a train, and others were either single-vehicle incidents or collisions between multiple vehicles.