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It’s finally here – the long-awaited Gregory Hills Drive extension opened to the public this morning. The road will provide another link between Camden and Campbelltown, providing a relief for frustrated motorists on Narellan Road. The $45 million road was constructed in a voluntary planning agreement between Gregory Hills developers Dart West and the NSW Government. At this stage the road is one lane each way, but will grow to two lanes after an additional access to St Gregory’s College is constructed. It is expected to be complete in the first half of 2018. The road links the existing sections of Gregory Hills Drive at Gregory Hills and Badgally Road and Eagle Vale Drive at Eagle Vale. Dart West general manager David Taylor said the road provided a convenient link to the Hume Highway and M5 via Eagle Vale Drive and Raby Road. “The new road link is all about making it easier to get around Macarthur,” he said. “Camden and Campbelltown councils, the NSW Government and the Australian Government are all working to coordinate and deliver new infrastructure and new communities across south-west Sydney. “Dart West is pleased to have contributed to improving the regional road network so that Macarthur area residents and businesses can more around more conveniently.” Campbelltown mayor George Brticevic said it was great to have another link between Campbelltown and Camden, but it was just one of many steps to making the two areas more connected. “We’ve got $3.76 million dollars of funding to fix Badgally Road, which will become a pinch point now this is open,” he said. “We’ve got $3.76 million dollars of funding to fix Badgally Road, which will become a pinch point now this is open,” he said. “There’s still more to do, but this is a fantastic first step.” Campbelltown MP Greg Warren echoed his sentiment. “We’re still waiting on those extra parking spots at Campbelltown station, which are another important connectivity issue,” he said. “We’re not looking at Campbelltown, Camden and Wollondilly as separate entities anymore, we need to look at them as interconnected. “The construction of this road is an example of thinking about that connectivity.” Macquarie Fields MP Anoulack Chanthivong said the extended road was indicative of the power of different regions working together towards a common goal. “We need to work together more often, and this is the sort of thing that can happen when we do,” he said. “Congratulations to one and all who got this road up and running.” Camden MP Chris Patterson praised the work of Dart West in providing for the community. “Voluntary Planning Agreements work so well, we saw that in Oran Park and we’ve seen it again here,” he said. “Developers can get it done faster, better and probably cheaper than we can achieve. “I think we should push for this more often.”

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