Following a meeting with Roads Minister Duncan Gay and the General Manager of Pacific Highway, Bob Higgins, the Minister for the North Coast and Ballina MP, Don Page, has announced a small working group of community members and the RTA will produce alternatives to the proposed Bangalow Interchange, which was so roundly criticised at the public meeting in Bangalow on July 6.

“The vast majority of community members present at the public meeting on July 6 made it clear that they did not want the Bangalow Interchange,” Mr Page said.

“After the meeting, I spoke with the RTA and Minister Gay to develop a solution which eliminates the interchange but meets the RTA’s requirement to have a manageable alternative route on which to divert traffic in the event that the tunnel at St Helena is closed for any reason,” he said.

A small working group will be formed to develop alternatives to the interchange which will then be put back before the community for their consideration.

“After that public consultation we will be in a position to proceed,” Mr Page said.

“In the meantime, works on the Tintenbar to Ewingsdale upgrade project will proceed.

“The RTA has identified Baulderstone as a preferred tenderer for the main design and construction of the upgrade project and contract is now being prepared.

“In other words, the overall project won’t be delayed while the alternative to the interchange is worked out.”