The long-awaited opening of the Tintenbar to Ewingsdale upgrade of the Pacific Highway will take place progressively without fanfare beginning tonight, with the majority of the 17-kilometre stretch to be open by Friday morning (December 18).
But Echonetdaily understands a key section of the road, around the Ewingsdale Road interchange, will not be open until after Christmas, meaning users can expect another school holiday period of traffic gridlock.
Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) remain tight-lipped about the opening, which was originally slated to happen in ‘the second half of 2015’.
But according to workers onsite, the road will be narrowed to one lane each way at St Helena, approaching the current single-lane section around Ewingsdale Road.
RMS have consistently declined to answer Echonetdaily’s questions about why such a small and seemingly easily engineered section of the road remains incomplete.
An official RMS spokesperson would only say, ‘Finishing work on the $862 million project is continuing. RMS will keep road users and the community informed of changed traffic conditions via electronic message signs. Motorists are asked to follow the direction of traffic control, adhere to reduced speed limits and plan their journey ahead as minor delays are expected.’
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