A $3.5 million program to tackle hazardous roadside trees on the Far South Coast will get underway this weekend.
The state government’s Bushfire Resilience Tree Removal Project will see 330 trees removed along the Princes Highway, enhancing resilience to extreme weather.
Transport for NSW Regional Director South, Cassandra Ffrench, said the NSW Government’s $19 million Bushfire Corridor Resilience Project under the Regional and Outer Metropolitan – Network Resilience Program has identified and prioritised areas on the state road network where we need to build greater resilience to bushfire and other extreme weather events.
“Almost 700 dead and decaying trees have been identified for removal along the Princes Highway on the South Coast, the M1 Princes Motorway in the Illawarra, the Hume Highway through the southern tablelands, and Appin Road on the outskirts of Sydney,” Ms Ffrench said.
“A total of 330 trees have been identified to be removed along 330-kilometres of the Princes Highway from Falls Creek to Conjola and Lake Tabourie to the Victorian Border.”
“By removing or trimming the dead and damaged trees we can reduce the possibility of roadside bushfire and network interruptions due to falling trees, boost road safety during the bushfire season, and improve sight distances for motorists.”
Ms Ffrench said Transport for NSW is committed to limiting the impact to the local environment whilst ensuring optimal operation and safety of the road network.
“Specialist arborists were engaged to inspect thousands of trees along these key corridors.
“The trees identified during inspections have been found to be either dead or in poor condition from natural ageing and decay.
“As part of our commitment to environmental sustainability, throughout this project we will protect fauna with identified habitats and offset the tree removal through programs such as reusing log waste as mulch and log hollows on other projects.”
Vegetation maintenance work will be carried out from Sunday, May 19.
Traffic control will be in place during work for the safety of workers and road users. The community will be advised of traffic impacts prior to work starting at each location.
Images: Google maps, Transport for NSW
