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Fletcher’s Lake Road Upgrades Complete

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Fletcher’s Lake Road Upgrades Complete

Major pavement rehabilitation and widening works are officially complete on Fletcher’s Lake Road. This crucial upgrade ensures a more resilient network for residents, commuter traffic, and our regional freight industries.

Project Overview

  • Upgrade Length: 1.47km section

  • New Sealed Width: 7.4 meters

  • Funding Source: Fully funded by the NSW Government’s Regional Emergency Road Repair Fund (RERRF)

Why This Upgrade Matters

Fletcher’s Lake Road serves as a vital heavy vehicle thoroughfare connecting the Coomealla and Pooncarie regions. The primary objectives of this rehabilitation project include:

  • Enhanced Safety: Lane widening provides more room for heavy vehicles and passenger cars to pass safely.

  • Reduced Maintenance: The renewed pavement significantly decreases the Council’s maintenance burden caused by reoccurring edge defects

Council thank local motorists and primary producers for their patience and cooperation while our crews delivered these road safety improvements.

Memorial Road Widening and Safety Works

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Memorial Road Widening and Safety Works

Council are pleased to announce that the scheduled road pavement rehabilitation and widening on Memorial Road is now complete, delivering an immediate safety boost to the local area.

Project Overview

  • Upgrade Length: 1km section

  • New Sealed Width: 6.8 meters

  • Funding Source: Fully funded by the NSW Government’s Regional Emergency Road Repair Fund (RERRF)

Improving Local Community Access

This project was specifically designed to target safety and ease of access for local residents and visitors utilising our community infrastructure. Key improvements include:

  • Curve Standardisation: Correcting and standardising horizontal curves to improve driver sightlines and vehicle handling.

  • Better Public Access: Providing a wider, safer, and smoother journey to critical local public spaces, including the Curlwaa Hall and oval.

Council thanks the Curlwaa community and local motorists for your patience throughout the duration of these civil works.

Old Wentworth Road Rehabilitated to Meet High Traffic Growth

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Old Wentworth Road Rehabilitated to Meet High Traffic Growth

To support our region’s rapid growth, major rehabilitation and widening works have been completed on a key section of Old Wentworth Road.

Project Overview

  • Upgrade Length: 1.12km section

  • New Sealed Width: 7.4 meters

  • Funding Source: Fully funded by the Australian Government’s Roads to Recovery (RTR) program

Catering to Region Growth

Old Wentworth Road has experienced an extraordinary surge in daily traffic over recent years. This upgrade directly addresses that pressure by:

  • Bringing Pavement to Standard: Rebuilding the existing sealed pavement to ensure it can durable handle current and projected traffic volumes.

  • Showground Access: Significantly improving traffic flow and road safety for visitors heading to the Wentworth Showgrounds (Pavillion Road).

Council appreciates the patience of all motorists while these essential upgrades were carried out to future-proof our local road network.

Take care driving in foggy conditions

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Transport for NSW (TfNSW) advises drivers in foggy conditions to significantly reduce speed, switch on low-beam headlights or fog lights, and increase the gap to the vehicle in front.
High-beam lights should never be used as they reflect off moisture and reduce visibility further.
Review these essential TfNSW safety practices for navigating safely through thick fog:
  • Turn on Your Lights: Use your low-beam headlights so other drivers can see you. If visibility is seriously reduced (under 100 metres), turn on your vehicle’s fog lights. Make sure to turn them off when conditions improve to avoid dazzling other drivers – it is also illegal to use fog lights when not foggy.
  • Slow Down: Reduce your speed to ensure you can stop safely within the distance you can actually see.
  • Increase Following Distance: Leave a larger gap between you and the vehicle ahead to allow for sudden stops. Standard safe distances should be doubled in adverse weather.
  • Avoid Sudden Movements: Brake gently and early to prevent skidding or causing a multi-vehicle collision.
  • Keep Windshields Clear: Use your wipers and vehicle defrosters to keep your view of the road as clear as possible.
  • Pull Over if Necessary: If visibility becomes dangerously low, pull over safely, turn on your hazard lights, and wait for conditions to improve.

Rural Road Safety Month – Animals on Country Roads

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Look out, animals about!
When driving in rural or regional areas, slow down,follow warning signs and stay alert – particularly around dusk or dawn.

More info https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/road-users/drivers/animals

Important Changes to Overseas Licence Conversions

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Transport for NSW and Austroads have introduced new arrangements for transitioning overseas driver and motorcycle rider licences to Australian licences.

What has changed?

As of 1 February 2026, the arrangements for converting licences from certain countries have changed.

  • List A (Recognised Countries): If you hold a valid car or rider licence from a “Recognised Country” (such as the UK, USA, New Zealand, or Canada), you generally do not need to pass a knowledge or driving test to convert your licence, provided your licence is current or expired within the last 5 years.
  • List B (Formerly Experienced Driver Recognition): Drivers from jurisdictions on “List B” must now pass the Rider/Driver Knowledge Test and the Rider/Driving Test to obtain a NSW driver licence. The previous exemptions for experienced drivers from these countries have ceased.

Timelines for moving to NSW

  • Permanent Residents: You must get a NSW driver licence within 3 months of living in NSW to continue driving or riding.
  • Temporary Visitors: You must get a temporary NSW driver licence within 6 months of living in NSW to continue driving or riding.

Check your eligibility

Because the list of recognised countries and testing requirements has changed, we urge all overseas licence holders to check their specific status on the Service NSW website.

[Button/Link: Check Licence Eligibility at Service NSW]

Lights flash on buses to warn motorists that buses are picking up and dropping off children

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Lights flash on buses to warn motorists that buses are picking up and dropping off children.

You must slow down to 40km/h when overtaking or passing a bus displaying flashing lights, unless a lower speed limit applies.

You can help keep children safe by:
🏫 Sticking to the speed limit and following the road rules in school zones
🚌 Slowing down to 40km/h when bus lights are flashing, unless a lower speed limit applies
🚸 Looking out for children crossing the road near bus stops, in school zones or along bus routes
⤴️ Giving way to buses when they merge back into traffic.

For more information visit: transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/road-users/drivers/be-bus-aware

Motorists are encouraged to take extra care on our regional roads during the busy summer harvest period.

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Motorists are encouraged to take extra care on our regional roads during the busy summer harvest period.

With more heavy vehicles and farm machinery travelling between properties and grain receival sites, drivers may encounter large, slow-moving vehicles more often than usual. The Be Truck Aware campaign, supported by Transport for NSW, GrainCorp, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator and state farming networks, is a reminder for all road users to stay patient, stay alert and make safe decisions on the road.

Key safety reminders this harvest season:
• Be mindful of increased truck movements and larger blind spots
• Allow extra travel time and avoid risky overtaking
• Always wear your seatbelt
• Manage fatigue before starting your journey
• Slow down, look and listen at level crossings

Variable message signs are in place across the region to reinforce these important safety messages and to support safer travel for all road users.

For further details, visit the Transport for NSW website.

Slow down around horses

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The annual ‘Horses in traffic’ initiative is underway from October to November to highlight the importance of taking care when driving around horses in traffic.

Horses can be unpredictable and easily spooked. This initiative reminds motorists to slow down, leave plenty of room and never use the car horn or rev the engine if passing a horse in traffic.

Over the 10-year period from 2015 to 2024p* there were:

  • 8 casualty crashes involving a ridden horse, resulting in 10 casualties.
  • 43 casualty crashes involving a riderless horse struck by a road vehicle, resulting in 47 casualties.

*The data for 2024 is preliminary and subject to change.

Horse riders also have a responsibility to take care on the road and are encouraged to be aware of their surroundings, ride on roads where motorists have a good line of sight, wear high visibility clothing and a helmet that meets Australian Standards, and if possible, ride during daylight hours.

Learn more: www.transport.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/road-users/drivers/animals#Horses_in_traffic_