Media Releases – Page 10

$1.9 MILLION BOAT RAMP UPGRADE NOW COMPLETE AT CRONULLA

Boaters now have safer and easier access to Port Hacking with the completion of $1.9 million of work at the Tonkin Street Cronulla Boat Ramp.

The new wider boat ramp with the addition of the pontoon makes launching and retrieving vessels of all sizes much quicker and easier

Sutherland Shire Council and the NSW Government each contributed $950,000 towards the project. The NSW Government contribution was made up of $650,000 under its Boating Now program and $300,000 was provided under its Rescuing Our Waterways program for dredging.

Since 2015, under the Boating Now program, the NSW Government has committed almost $1.23 million to maritime infrastructure projects in the Cronulla electorate.

Information on maritime infrastructure funding and other projects can be found at https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/boatingnow.

JPS HONOURED FOR 50 YEARS OF SERVICE

I congratulate John Adamson, Eric Galbraith and Terry Kearns, for 50 years of service to the community as a Justice of the Peace.

More than 250 NSW JPs celebrated their Golden Jubilee of service in 2018-19. Nearly 130 attended a ceremony at NSW Parliament where they were presented with a commemorative certificate.

Just about everyone needs a JP at some point in their life – such as when they buy a house or access their superannuation – and John, Eric and Terry have always been happy to lend a hand.

JPs Act as independent witnesses to documents people need for a variety of purposes. Their main functions are to witness affidavits and statutory declarations, and they may also certify copies of original documents. JPs provide their services on a voluntary basis.

For more information on JPs or to find one in your area go to www.jp.nsw.gov.au.

SCHOOLS IN THE SUTHERLAND SHIRE SHARING THEIR SPACE OVER SPRING HOLIDAYS

Schools in the Sutherland Shire are among more than 100 Sydney schools to open their grounds to the public over the spring holidays, as part of the Share Our Space initiative.

The Sutherland Shire schools included for the spring holidays Share Our Space initiative are:

Caringbah Public School
Cronulla South Public School
Kurnell Public School
Woolooware Public School

The Department of Education is carefully assessing schools to ensure those who participate are safe and secure.

To find participating schools, visit the Share Our Space webpage.

QUALITY LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (QLE) GRANT

More pre-schoolers in the Sutherland Shire will have access to state-of-the-art early childhood learning facilities and specialised educational programs, thanks to the NSW Government’s Quality Learning Environments program.

Sutherland local MP’s Mark Speakman, Eleni Petinos and Lee Evans today announced the following preschools and not-for-profit long day care centres in the Sutherland Shire will receive grants of up to $10,000 under the program:

Grays Point Pre-School Kindergarten Association
Jacaranda Pre-School Centre Inc
Kurnell Pre-School Kindergarten Inc

These grants can be used to make physical improvements to early childhood services, like new gardens, jungle gyms or bathroom renovations, and can also assist the rollout of new learning programs, like music lessons or yoga classes.“I am thrilled that the littlest learners in Miranda will benefit from this funding now and for years to come,” Ms Petinos said.

For more information, visit https://education.nsw.gov.au/early-childhood-education/operating-an-early-childhood-education-service/grants-and-funded-programs/quality-learning-environments

MAKING OUR BEACHES SAFER AHEAD OF SUMMER

The State’s waterways will have enhanced safety this summer with the arrival of new vehicles and jet skis following a major funding investment from the NSW Government.

Shire MPs Mark Speakman, Eleni Petinos, Lee Evans and Melanie Gibbons joined for Police and Emergency Services Minister David Elliott at Wanda Beach today to inspect some of the 11 new vehicles and 11 new jet skis for Surf Life Saving NSW.

SLSNSW is increasingly expanding its services beyond just beach patrols, during the summer with volunteers called on to respond to searching for missing swimmers, rockfishers in trouble and watercraft users in distress on a 24/7 basis.

Last year SLSNSW received almost 600 requests for assistance from Emergency Services that were responded to by volunteers.

WORK STARTS TO EASE CONGESTION AT KINGSWAY AND ELOUERA ROAD INTERSECTION IN CRONULLA

Work starts the end of next week to deliver smoother journeys for motorists at the busy intersection of the Kingsway and Elouera Road at Cronulla.

The NSW Government will carry out the work, including widening Elouera Road, from Sunday 1 September until the end of the year.

The improvements are set to benefit around 20,000 motorists using the Kingsway every day, to keep people moving around Cronulla and the local area.

The upgrade includes a new right turn lane on Elouera Road, doubling capacity for commuters and easing congestion for motorists turning right onto the Kingsway.

This will particularly improve traffic flow in peak periods, and for vehicles experiencing delays in the through lane, heading from Elouera Road onto Gerrale Street.

The project will also improve safety for cyclists by installing an on-road cycle lane for southbound riders to link with existing cycle routes.

The community is thanked for its feedback so far, and will continue to be consulted as the project progresses.

Work will be carried out up to six days a week, between 7am and 6pm from Monday to Friday, and between 8am and 1pm on Saturdays. Work will also be carried out at night for five nights a week, between 8pm and 5am from Sunday to Thursday, weather permitting.

The NSW Government continues to work with Sutherland Shire Council, which is responsible for local parking spaces, to offset a reduction in parking spaces on Elouera Road.

There will be temporary traffic and parking changes during the work, to allow work to be completed safely and to set up a site compound in the car park at the corner of Mitchell Road, Prince Street and Bando Road.

The Bali Memorial will not be impacted by this work, and access to local shops, cafes and North Cronulla Beach will be maintained at all times.

The NSW Government is funding the project as part of its $100 million Congestion and Safety Program. For more information, visit the project page:

https://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/sydney-south/kingsway-and-elourea-road-cronulla/index.html

For the latest traffic updates download the Live Traffic NSW App, visit livetraffic.com or call 132 701.

PARKING IMPROVEMENTS TO EASE CONGESTION AT CARINGBAH

Work to reduce travel time for motorists at Caringbah will be carried out this month following community consultation on parking changes around the intersection of the Kingsway and Taren Point Road.

The plans are designed to keep traffic flowing and improve efficiency by making more lanes available, especially during the busy weekday peak periods.

The changes will extend the No Parking restrictions on the Kingsway between Taren Point Road and Kareena Road and between Willarong Road and Taren Point Road.

Parking will be restricted in the morning and afternoon peak, between 6-10am and 3-7pm on weekdays (and on weekends west bound between Willarong Road and Taren Point Road). 6 spaces will be removed east bound on the Kingsway between Taren Point Road and Chamberlain Avenue.

The parking changes are not expected to have a major impact on residential parking. Many residents in the area have off-street parking and the changes will help deliver consistent driving conditions.

The clearway hours are when traffic is busiest and the road is most congested. They also are consistent with the existing clearway that was installed last year along Taren Point Road.

The changes come into effect when new parking signs and posts will be installed on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 July, weather permitting, between 8pm and 5am.

During the installation work, there could be temporary traffic changes to ensure the work zone is safe. Please keep to speed limits and follow signs and traffic controllers’ directions.

NEW RAIL BRIDGE NOW IN PLACE AT GANNONS ROAD

It took a 750 tonne crane, over 20 pieces of heavy machinery and more than 450 tonnes of pre-cast concrete but the new rail bridge at Gannons Road in Caringbah is finally in place.

The old steel rail bridge, built in 1939, was removed last weekend, replaced by the new bridge, which was installed in pre-cast sections with in-situ concrete topping slab poured on site.

This was a major operation Sydney Trains undertook with some very complex engineering work involved to carefully remove the old bridge and safely install the new one.

The major structure is now securely in place with the rest of the pieces such as the rail tracks and overhead wiring to be installed this week.

Temporary traffic management and transport measures will continue to operate until next Monday.

I’d like to thank the local community for their patience while this important project is taking place. Gannons Road remains on track to re-open next Monday along with train services.

Once this work is completed, Sutherland Shire Council can then complete the next phase of the project, which is to add more road lanes, along with a footpath and cycle path.

This is great news for our local community, in particular, motorists, who have been caught in the bottleneck of Gannons Road for far too long.

Buses will continue to replace train services between Sutherland and Cronulla, and a detour route will operate for motorists between Captain Cook Drive through Elouera Road and Kingsway. A short shuttle service will be provided for pedestrians between Kingsway and Denman Avenue.