The higher number of heavy trucks in the main street of Orange this week are a timely reminder of the value of Orange City Council’s decision to build the northern bypass, according to mayor John Davis.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The eastern section of the bypass between Mitchell Highway and Icely Road is closed to traffic for an upgrade this week.
That closure is set to be extended, prompting more trucks take the route down Summer Street.
Councillor Davis said the extra temporary traffic made an important point for Orange residents.
“The quality of the road surface on the bypass has copped some criticism from the community and that’s fair enough,” Cr John Davis said.
“The work that’s closed the bypass this week is a sign this council is getting on with the job of upgrading that surface.
“There’s more work to do but many drivers are already commenting about what a difference the new hot-mix surface has made.”
Cr Davis said this week’s traffic on Summer Street was a timely reminder of what life was like in the CBD in the pre-bypass era.
“The important thing for some of the critics to remember is to ask ‘what if we hadn’t built it in the first place?’”
“Thousands of cars a day are using the bypass, and if it wasn’t there, these are the cars that would be spread across other main streets around Orange.
“In the week before the bypass closed, a traffic counter on the section of the bypass around William Maker Drive recorded more than 14,000 vehicles in a single day.”
