Critical construction and maintenance work across NSW roads and transport networks is being ramped up to keep people in jobs during COVID-19, and protect the livelihoods of more than 130,000 people directly and indirectly employed by Transport for NSW.
Transport and Roads Minister Andrew Constance said transport infrastructure projects will also be key in rebuilding the State’s economy after the pandemic.
“The NSW Government is pushing ahead with delivering $57.5 billion worth of transport infrastructure across the next four years, so it’s essential to keep moving during a time like this,” Mr Constance said.
“Continuing work on critical transport infrastructure is great news for industry as thousands of jobs will be sustained in the coming months. This work will also provide significant economic benefits to suppliers, manufacturers and supporting sectors.”
Mr Constance said crews were already taking advantage of the reduced number of cars on our roads to fast-track projects.
“Earlier this month, the M5 East Motorway was completely closed to fast track resurfacing work in the usually busy tunnels,” Mr Constance said.
“This was a great result for drivers as the work usually would have been carried out across a number of weeks at night.
“Given the success of this work, we are now fast-tracking maintenance work in the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, which will be closed to traffic from tomorrow night until Monday morning.
“This is all part of our plan to keep people in jobs and the NSW economy moving.”
Transport is also playing a vital role in providing services for essential travel and keeping the supply chain moving as NSW navigates the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Constance said the freight network has been incredibly busy in the past few weeks, delivering supplies and materials to hundreds of locations.
“People are relying on us to keep road and rail routes open so we can get food to supermarkets and important medical supplies to hospitals and medical centres across the state,” Mr Constance said.
“This has been a very tough time for the people of NSW and it is crucial we keep our transport network moving for those who need to carry out essential travel.
“The main priority is to ensure the health and safety of all customers and staff.
“We’ve deployed hundreds of extra cleaners across the network who have worked an extra 83,000 hours since the beginning of March,” Mr Constance said.
“Thousands of litres of hand sanitiser and thousands of packets of disinfectant wipes have been distributed to all stations, depots, work sites and offices.
“I also want to pay special tribute to our front line workers who are keeping services running for those who can’t work from home or need to access essential services,” Mr Constance said.
“We do not underestimate the importance of a safe public transport and road network at a time like this and we will continue to work with all levels of government to deliver just that.”