The NSW government has announced $7.61 million funding for widening the Minmi Road traffic bottleneck at Wallsend.
The project, which is being paid for predominantly by City of Newcastle ratepayers, will convert Minmi Road to dual carriageway between Maryland Drive and the Summerhill tip entrance road and upgrade Longworth Avenue.
City of Newcastle has allocated $26 million to upgrading roads between Newcastle Road and Minmi, including addressing the bottleneck at Longworth Avenue by duplicating the road to two lanes in each direction.
The council had asked the government to take over responsibility for the busy arterial road, but its application was knocked back.
The newly announced money comes from the latest round of funding under the government's Accelerated Infrastructure Fund.
The latest allocation includes $180 million for metropolitan projects and $120 million for regional areas.
The government has included the Wallsend project in the metropolitan allocation.
Meanwhile, Premier Dominic Perrottet was in Dungog on Thursday with Upper Hunter MP Dave Layzell to announce $441,000 for an accessible amenities block at the town's showground and $248,309 to boost Radio Dungog's broadcasting capabilities.
The money is part of a $5 million allocation from the government's Stronger Country Communities Fund for 24 projects in the Upper Hunter electorate.
Dungog Shire Council said it expected to receive the funding this month.
