The final $3.45 million to complete stage two was announced by Member for Calare Andrew Gee on Tuesday as part of a $6.45 million funding announcement through the Federal Government’s Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program.

Stage two in an $18.4 million project and will include 720 metres of duel carriageway and a 23 metre single-span four-lane bridge over the railway line, forming a direct link between Blowes Road and stage one at Huntley Road.

MAP: The Blowes Road and Elsham Avenue intersection where the Southern Feeder Road will run through, connecting Huntley Road to the Mitchell Highway.

The other $3 million will go towards completing the third stage.

More funding is still needed for stage three, but it will include widening, strengthening, realigning and resealing about 2.2km of Blowes Road and Dairy Creek Road.

Mr Gee said 4500 cars travel along Blowes Road and Dairy Creek Road each day and there are 175 heavy vehicle movements.

“It’s a very busy piece of road and a lot of freight uses this road as well, so this road will actually help freight and heavy vehicles bypass the CBD,” Mr Gee said.

“We reckon it will save about 20 minutes and over a long period of time that adds up to significant freight savings and cost savings in terms of getting products to market and we reckon it will save about $7.5 million a year in freight movements alone.

“Ron Finemore, the transport operator reckons that 10,000 tonnes of fruit alone will use this stretch of road every year getting our produce to the markets.”

Mayor Reg Kidd said it will make a difference going towards Cadia and the hospital precinct.

“Probably 99.9 per cent of fruit production in Orange is on the southern side of Orange going out towards Mount Canobolas,” he said.

“It will make a huge difference in safety and productivity, there’s no doubt about that, cutting down times and keeping the heavy vehicles on a road where they can continue to travel without going around bends or too many sets of traffic lights.”