1. Home

ARC delivers single largest road project undertaken by a NSW Council

It is an unprecedented time to be part of Armidale Regional Council (ARC) as it delivers the single largest road project ever undertaken by a NSW council.

The $408 million reconstruction of the Kempsey Road back to pre-disaster conditions is jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Government and marks a significant turning point in the transformation of ARC.

It’s safe to say that the ARC of three or four years ago would have been a long shot to even consider, let alone be considered, to take on such an ambitious civil construction project. The heavy lifting undertaken by all staff during the last two years and driven by a new Executive Leadership Team to restore the organisation to a high performing, values based, team culture that encourages diversity has meant that the building blocks are now there to achieve success.

The transformation has been led by a general manager that values all staff and their contribution to ARC and a new council that has set an ambitious jobs and growth strategy and understands the importance of its people.

“The Kempsey Road reconstruction project has benefited from the solid work that has been undertaken to change the fortunes of the organisation and transform it to a culture and a workplace that people now want to work in,” said General Manager James Roncon.

“If we hadn’t put culture and people first we wouldn’t be attracting the high calibre staff to this project and ARC more broadly. Transport for NSW and the Commonwealth can be confident in their decision to award ARC the funds to get this project completed.”

The reconstruction of the Kempsey Road will restore 43 km of the Kempsey to Armidale Road and 5.1km of Lower Creek Road to pre-disaster conditions. 

In addition to the restoration work the NSW Government has approved three improvement projects to be carried out at the same time and to build back better in order to improve the road’s resilience in case of future natural disasters. These projects are funded through the Fixing Local Roads and Fixing Country Roads programs to improve sections of the road at Blackbird Flat, Flying Fox and Big Hill. 

“This is a complex project across difficult and steep terrain,” said Mr Roncon.

“It’s a road we inherited and we are pretty keen to give it back to the NSW Government. ARC is now building the right staffing and resource base and is well and truly up to the challenge and will pass the baton to the NSW Government once we’ve successfully delivered the project.”

The road was severely damaged by bushfires at the end of 2019 and subsequent flooding in 2020 and 2022 meant the road was impassable and had sustained substantial damage.  

The road is an important corridor and traverses steep and challenging terrain, which links Armidale and the coast. The road also supports agriculture and tourism industries in both the Armidale and Kempsey regions. 

 

Latest stories

News

New England Volunteer Awards 2023
The New England Volunteer Awards for 2023 were presented on Thursday 18 May in the Armidale Council Chambers with a record 29 nominations received.
City’s highest honour awarded to Tony Deakin
Mr Antony ‘Tony’ Deakin OAM, former mayor and architect, has been granted the City’s highest honour of the Keys to the City by Armidale Regional Council, at a special ceremony held in the Armidale Mall on Wednesday 17 May 2023.
New permanent off-leash dog park for Guyra
Armidale Regional Council (ARC) is now in the early design stages of a leash-free dog area in South Guyra Park, approved by Council at the May meeting, with some works scheduled to commence before the end of June.
Twenty tonnes of recycling sold from Armidale's top crate system
Armidale’s world-class crate recycling system continues to lead the way to secure markets for our plastics, with approximately twenty (20) tonnes of mixed plastics being loaded on to trucks and exported from Council’s waste facilities on Friday 12 May.
Council is a proud champion of Privacy Awareness Week 2023
Privacy Awareness Week NSW takes place from 1 – 7 May 2023 and this year’s theme is Back to Basics: Privacy foundations in NSW. Armidale Regional Council is a proud Champion of Privacy Awareness Week NSW 2023 and is committed to protecting the privacy of NSW citizens.
Mayor congratulates Rotary on longest continuous second hand book sale in New England
Mayor of Armidale Regional Council, Sam Coupland congratulates Armidale Central Rotary on 25 years of the sale and giving generously of their time to the community.
Youth Week is a chance to ‘Connect, Participate and Celebrate’
Armidale Regional Council is hosting free activities in Armidale and Guyra for this year’s Youth Week from 20 to 29 April and welcome all young people in the community to be part of the celebrations.
40 years of Breakfast with the Band on Autumn Festival day
This Saturday’s Autumn Festival marks the fortieth year of the Armidale City Band’s popular ‘Breakfast with the Band’ major fundraising event. Affectionately known by the band as the ‘Pancake Breakfast’, it has grown from humble beginnings in 1982 to an Armidale Autumn Festival institution.
March Meeting Wrap-Up
If you missed the latest Council meeting, we have given you a wrap-up of the main points discussed.
Keys to the City awarded to former mayor and architect Tony Deakin
Mr Antony ‘Tony’ Deakin OAM, former mayor and architect, has been granted the Keys to the City by Armidale Regional Council, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the community.