Mosquito Creek Road Curve Widening

The newly completed reconstruction of Mosquito Creek Road at Pallamallawa now serves as an important link to the Gwydir and Newell highways for Croppa Creek and Pallamallawa primary producers and the trucking industry.

The works, funded through the NSW Government’s Fixing Country Roads program, included widening of two intersections, as well as relocation of troublesome culverts and power poles.

Moree Plains Shire Council’s Project Engineer Casey Smith explained that originally the intersection was too narrow to accommodate the large, sweeping turn-circles of our region’s oversized trucks but using new design software AutoTURN® provided the technology to model heavy vehicle manoeuvres.

“The software provided vehicle swept path analysis which meant we were able design the right width of the road for B-Triples to pass concurrently,” said Ms Smith.

However, this meant the initial plans needed to be changed to accommodate the relocation and removal of additional power poles and more fill required to bring the road surface up to the correct level.

Council partnered with Johnstone’s Concrete and Quarries, who donated $10,300 of materials for the fill.

Business Owner Mitchell Johnstone said “This part of the road has been a real safety concern for the community.  Johnstone’s Concrete and Quarries was thrilled to get on board and help develop this section of the road, which ultimately will provide a better transport route for us and everyone in the Shire.”

The completed works allow AB-Triple vehicle access on Mosquito Creek Road (Shire Road 105) through Pallamallawa, 30 kilometres east of Moree in north-western NSW.

The total reconstruction included road widening and headwall works on two culverts on nearby Parramellowa Street, the relocation of power poles to allow for additional road width and sealing the 90-degree bend on the north-eastern entrance into Pallamallawa.

Restart NSW Fixing Country Roads provided $152,304 towards the project, a further $15,000 in funding from Moree Plains Shire Council and industry contribution of $10,300 from Johnstone’s Concrete and Quarries.

In last year’s funding, the Northern Tablelands saw $1.26 million to replace outdated infrastructure including Tenterden and Mihi bridges, bridge audits and improved freight links such as the Mosquito Creek Road works.

The Fixing Country Roads program funds vital road and bridge upgrades to better connect local and regional roads to state highways and key freight hubs. The NSW Government has reserved $500 million for this program over multiple funding rounds.

Photograph Caption: Mosquito Creek Road reconstruction provides B-Triple access link between the Gwydir and Newell Highways.