West Arnhem Regional Council is currently completing the final few km of works on Murganella Road as part of Stage two of the major road project carried out in 2018.
Funded by the Northern Territory Government’s Regional Economic Infrastructure Fund, the second stage of the Murganella upgrades includes re-sheeting 25 km of unsealed pavement.
Local tourism businesses rely on this road being safe for visitors, and the upgrades will improve tourist access to Coburg and Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, potentially opening up further opportunities for economic development in the region.
Assets and Projects Manager, Clem Beard, said continual maintenance of the road is vital for access to the Murganella outstation, residents and visitors of Coburg and the national park as well as community members of Warruwi and Minjilang, who regularly travel the 101 km road.
Traditional Owner, Ralph Blyth, said it was great to see improvements to the road.
“I’ve travelled over the road for as long as I can remember and I haven’t seen this much work happen on the road for a long time, and given the opportunity, here’s hoping that this work will continue to improve safe travelling.
“When we think about it, this is the only main road in and out of Cobourg down to Three Ways.
“This work is welcomed by the local residents and it gives the opportunity to drive a bit earlier and later in the wet season.”
The works commenced in July and the projects team, which includes 12 local employees at any one time, has worked very hard to reach the current stage.
Mr Beard said the project had provided great employment and training opportunities for Council staff from across the region who have been able to gain experience in road construction practices, project delivery, and on-the-job training in a variety of road building activities and machinery operations.
On completion of Stage 2 and weather permitting, remedial works are will be carried out on the remaining 75 km of road prior to the onset of
the wet season.
