Federal MP David Gillespie says plans for three large quarries north of Raymond Terrace demonstrate why the Pacific Highway urgently needs a new interchange to fix safety concerns at Italia Road, Medowie Road and the Bucketts Way.
The Newcastle Herald reported last week that three proposed quarries at Balickera could generate 1000 truck movements a day.
The former federal government budgeted $9 million in 2021 for an Italia Road overpass, but Dr Gillespie, the Nationals Member for Lyne, said the project had not materialised.
He said an interchange could include slip roads from Italia Road and the Bucketts Way connecting to an overpass at Medowie Road, eliminating three dangerous intersections where cars cross high-speed traffic.
Two men died at the Medowie Road intersection in 2019.
Dr Gillespie said in a speech to Parliament in 2021 that the NSW government should fast-track the Medowie Road flyover and overpasses at other dangerous intersections between Newcastle and Port Macquarie, including the Myall Way turn-off to Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens.
"The Italia Road highway overpass project is long overdue, as these quarry developments have highlighted," Dr Gillespie said on Monday.
"This is yet another case of poor planning and too much red tape by the NSW government which has failed to deliver these projects. They always drag the chain."
The quarry companies involved in the Balickera projects have reached an agreement with Transport for NSW for trucks to turn north from Italia Road, travel 11 kilometres up the Pacific Highway to Karuah then turn around to travel south back towards Newcastle.
Mr Gillespie described this plan as "ridiculous", though the quarry projects were "certainly welcome" to supply materials for building and maintaining roads.
"Transport for NSW needs to immediately complete the planning for these highway overpasses ... so that works can begin as soon as possible," he said.
"They are critical for our economy, important for road safety, and they are all long overdue."
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