THE existing roundabout on Moonee Beach Road and the Moonee Beach Estate’s associated road network will be adequate for the next 20 years or so, says a report to City of Coffs Harbour Council.
Councillor Paul Amos unsuccessfully proposed a motion at the council’s 29 January ordinary meeting.
The motion asked the council to support his plan requesting Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh to “make formal representations to Transport NSW to seek a permanent slip lane solution southbound directly into the new Moonee residential estates from the Pacific Highway”.
Cr Amos also asked the council to “endorse a long-term strategic position of supporting and exploring funding options for a northern entry access point into the new Moonee estates via Tiki Road and a bridge over Skinners Creek”.
His motion, which he said was based around safety and rapidly increasing traffic volumes in the growing estate, was defeated in a five–four vote.
Instead, in an alternative motion presented by Cr Cath Fowler, the council will now “consider the allocation of funding for the upgrade of the Moonee Creek Drive/Moonee Beach Road roundabout in the next five-year time horizon”.
A staff report to the council said a northern access route into the new estate had been investigated and addressed in 2023, with two detailed independent engineering studies undertaken.
Included in the findings were the high construction costs of a northern access route into the Moonee Beach Estate (around $10 million at the time), marginal benefits with traffic redistribution, issues associated with land acquisition, and impacts to secondary koala habitat and other environmental values.
By Mike HELY
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