DRIVERS who regularly use Werris Creek Road in Tamworth are warned to expect delays as two major construction projects get off the ground on Monday.
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Traffic will be reduced to one lane in two sections of the roadway, including one crash hot spot, between Tamworth and Currububula, Tamworth Regional Council said.
The roadworks will take place on weekdays between 7am and 5pm and drivers can expect travel times to be a little slower.
One project - funded by a $470,000 Australian Government grant in the Black Spot Program - aim to improve road safety on a 1km section of Werris Creek Road, about 4km past the Duri village, towards Currabubula. It will take six weeks to complete, council said.
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The other project involves urgent repairs to Sugarloaf Gully Culvert on Werris Creek Road about 1km towards Tamworth before the site of the road safety works. The work is expected to cost $160,000 and will be funded by the NSW Government's natural disaster funding.
Council said the culvert "sustained substantial damage" during heavy rainfall in February this year.
"Soil and other material on the downstream side of the culvert and road shoulder were washed away," a council spokesperson said.
"The road safety project includes widening the roadway, removing a slight dip in the road and installing a wide centreline with audio tactile line marking. The section of road has been the site of two head-on crashes in the last five years with one resulting in a fatality and one serious injury."
Council said a team of traffic controllers will be on site to manage the flow of vehicles while construction crews are working, while traffic lights will regulate vehicle movements after hours.
"Drivers can expect brief delays while staff are operating go/stop signs but the delays will be longer when the traffic lights operate after 5pm," the spokesperson said.
"The culvert repairs are expected to take four weeks. One lane of the roadway is already closed due to the damage and this will continue while the repairs are in progress."
Motorists are asked to drive to the conditions; allow extra travel time; obey the 40km per hour speed limits in the construction zones and all signage.
