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Motorists and pedestrians in Caringbah will experience reduced congestion and increased safety, with work starting in February to improve the intersection of Taren Point Road, The Boulevarde and Captain Cook Drive.

Around 70,000 vehicles travel through this intersection daily, with southbound motorists on Taren Point Road experiencing significant delays when trying to turn right into The Boulevarde.

This project will ease congestion by widening Taren Point Road to include an additional right turn lane heading south into The Boulevarde heading west, which will help deliver faster journeys for road users heading towards Miranda, Gymea, Kirrawee, Sutherland and beyond.

More than 1,600 students attend nearby Endeavour Sports and Caringbah High Schools, making this intersection a major hub for pedestrians as well, particularly during morning and afternoon pick-up and drop-off times.

The upgrade includes relocating and widening the pedestrian crossings on The Boulevarde, and replacing the footpath and fencing along the north-west corner of the intersection.

New pedestrian crossing lights will be installed and the intersection will be resurfaced with new line markings, including on each of the four pedestrian crossings, to make it safer and easier for people to cross the road.

Roads and Maritime Services is working closely with the local schools to ensure students, parents and teachers are kept informed as the work progresses and as little disruption as possible occurs.

Work is expected to start on 1 February 2019 and take up to eight months to complete.

Work will be carried out on weekdays between 7am and 6pm, and between 8am and 1pm on Saturday. Work may also take place on up to five nights a week between 8pm and 5am from Sunday to Thursday, weather permitting and excluding public holidays.

More information about the project is available on the Roads and Maritime Services website: www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/sydney-south.

Motorists and cyclists will soon experience quicker and easier journeys through Cronulla, with work progressing to ease congestion at the busy intersection of Elouera Road and Kingsway.

Proposed upgrades to the intersection include adding a new right turn lane on Elouera Road to help prevent traffic building up and blocking the nearby through lane. Plans allow seven extra cars to fit into the upgraded turning bay, doubling capacity and allowing more efficient traffic flow.

With around 20,000 motorists using Kingsway each day, this corridor is crucial to keep people moving around Cronulla and the local region.

The project will also improve safety for cyclists by installing an on-road cycle lane for southbound riders on Elouera Road to connect with the existing cycle lane on Gerrale Street.

The important local Bali memorial will not be impacted by this work and artist’s impressions reflect the care taken to ensure the appearance of Peryman Square is maintained.

The first stage of work will start in December, and include relocating two accessible car parking spaces on Elouera Road further north, towards Mitchell Road, and road resurfacing work.

This minor work will be carried out between Sunday 9 and Sunday 23 December from 7am to 6pm on weekdays and from 8pm to 5am Sunday to Thursday, weather permitting.

Before major work starts in 2019 the community is being asked to have a say on parking changes, with around 15 spaces to be removed on Elouera Road.

Roads and Maritime is working with Sutherland Shire Council to ensure as many of these spaces as possible are replaced. There are three proposals.

The first is to converting existing open space at the rear of the Mitchell Road car park to add 15 replacement spaces.

A second option is to change the existing untimed parking spaces on Mitchell Road, near Elouera Road, to four hour timed parking. This would replace 13 timed spaces removed from Elouera Road.

A third proposal is moving parking spaces on Mitchell Road, between Burke Road and Prince Street, from the west side of the road to the east side of the road. This would provide seven extra untimed spaces.

Feedback is also being sought on the work schedule for 2019, to ensure it minimises any potential disruption to local traffic, limits noise and maintains access to businesses and North Cronulla Beach.

To complete the project as quickly as possible, Roads and Maritime is proposing to work up to five nights and six days a week.

There will be temporary traffic changes during work hours, to ensure the safety of pedestrians, motorists and workers. Lane closures will be in place and may affect travel times.

The project team will be available at a pop-up kiosk outside Cronulla Post Office on Thursday 6 December, from 4pm to 7pm, and on Saturday 8 December from 10am to 1pm.

Roads and Maritime is requesting comments or suggestions on this project by Monday 17 December 2018. To have your say you contact the project team on 1800 572 004, by email at pinchpoint@rms.nsw.gov.au or by writing to PO Box 973, Parramatta NSW 2124.

Local motorists in Sydney’s south will spend less time sitting in traffic and more time doing the things they love thanks to the proposed F6 Extension Stage 1.

MPs Mark Speakman, Eleni Petinos, Lee Evans, Melanie Gibbons and Mark Coure today welcomed the release of the environmental impact statement for the F6 Extension Stage 1.

The MPs said the project will deliver the missing link from Sydney’s south to the wider motorway network, making journeys easier, faster and safer. It will contribute to a more accessible, more liveable and more productive Greater Sydney and southern district, creating 5,300 jobs throughout the life of the project, the MP’s said.

The MPs said the carefully planned project will deliver upgrades along President Avenue, Princes Highway and local streets.

“There will be additional turning lanes from Princes Highway including a dedicated right turn lane from the south.”

“There will also be new right turn bays from President Avenue to St George TAFE Campus, and to Lachal Avenue, all of which will improve traffic flow in the area.

“The project frees up local roads and slashes travel times for Sydney’s south.”

The required southern ventilation facility will be constructed in the industrial zone on West Botany Street which will minimise impacts to the residential community, schools and the surrounding open space.

The community has also had a significant win with new and refurbished community and sporting facilities provided during construction to minimise impacts on the local fields.

The community are passionate about these facilities, and the positive impact they have on their quality of life and the health and wellbeing of young people in particular.

The F6 Extension Stage 1 will:

– Provide direct access from southern Sydney to the wider Sydney motorway network

– Bypass up to 23 sets of traffic lights on the Princess Highway between St Peters and Kogarah

– Provide more reliable travel times

– Remove traffic from local surface roads

– Provide improved access to jobs, education and recreational facilities

– Bypass Sydney Airport traffic

The Environmental Impact Statement for F6 Extension Stage 1 is now available for community feedback. We encourage everyone to have their say on this important project by providing written submissions to the Department of Planning and Environment at http://www.majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/.

For more information on the F6 Extension Stage 1 and to access an interactive guide to the EIS, please visit http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/projects/sydney-south/f6/index.html.

Shire MPs Lee Evans, Eleni Petinos and Mark Speakman announced today three Shire schools would each receive a $3,500 Eco Schools Grant to encourage environmental learning opportunities for students, teachers and the school community.

School children participating in these grassroots environmental projects learn skills for sustainable living and develop an appreciation for their local environment.

The program provides a hands-on, curriculum-based environmental education for students, with a focus on strong student participation. The students also learn about the importance of protecting the environment for future generations.

86 schools across NSW will share in more than $300,000 to implement local and practical environmental education initiatives through the 2018 round of the Eco Schools Grant Program.

For more details and project descriptions visit https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/grants/schools.htm

I am proud to announce that mental health facilities at Sutherland Hospital will benefit from almost $500,000 in funding as part of a NSW Government investment to upgrade mental health infrastructure in NSW.

Sutherland Hospital Acute Unit will receive $496,000 to build a new multipurpose room, replace bedroom and bathroom doors and to purchase equipment to enhance the mental health unit.

Well-designed physical spaces in acute mental health units help dignify our mental health consumers by meeting their needs for recovery, security, and connection.

This funding will create therapeutic environments to support person centred care that responds to past trauma, focusing on individual recovery.

Projects were funded after a partnership of Local Health Districts (LHDs) working with consumers and carers.

LHDs and specialty networks have received a share of $20 million to make important improvements, the first initiative of the NSW Government’s $700 million Mental Health Infrastructure program.

This is part of the NSW Government’s long term plan to help our mental health facilities refresh their physical environment so they support modern care models.

The $20 million investment is focused on delivering immediate benefits to help reduce, and where possible eliminate, the use of seclusion and restraint in NSW acute mental health facilities.

This funding is in addition to this year’s record $2.1 billion State Budget for mental health services. Planning continues for the remainder of the $700 million state wide Mental Health Infrastructure Program, with a focus on enhancing specialist services.

If you or someone you know needs crisis support please call Lifeline 13 11 14. For local mental health services phone NSW Mental Health Line 1800 011 511.

The German Saturday School Sydney, which runs German language classes at Grays Point Public School, will receive $7,300 in funding from the NSW Government.

The Community Language Schools Program provides funding to community organisations to help establish and run language schools in the local area.

The NSW Government is providing more than $5 million in funding to support community language schools.

Community language schools are vital for young people to maintain strong links to their heritage and cultural identity.

The NSW Government was dedicated to supporting education in all its forms.