After unanimously endorsing the advocacy of the Barton Highway duplication and Yass Hospital renewal at their 25 July Ordinary Council Meeting, Yass Valley Council has “turned up the pressure”.
Yass Valley Mayor, Jasmin Jones, says she is calling for action.
“Our community has waited long enough – the business case has already been made; it’s time to deliver the finished product – not just the promise,” she says.
Stage two of the Transport for NSW (TfNSW) project has seen significant delays of more than two years, with the current development finishing at Kaveneys Road. No new funding has been announced as of yet for ongoing construction.
“Every year of delay only sees the price tag rise which means less kilometres delivered and lives lost on a highway that claims double those of its counterparts across the country,” says Mayor Jones.
Yass Valley Council, she says, is now pushing for new funding to duplicate the highway up until Murrumbateman and complete the bypass for a district that is close to hitting a population of 10,000 residents, alongside the delivery of stage 2 works to Gooda Creek.
Described as a “critical artery” for Southern Australia and the Capital Region, Mayor Jones says the Barton Highway is an “economic engine for the Riverina, Adelaide, and Victoria along with the obvious gateway to Canberra and the Capital Region for Yass Valley communities and our cool climate wine region tourism economy, likewise for Harden, Boorowa, Young and Cowra.
With an emphasis on renewed commitment from both the State and Federal Governments to jointly prioritise funding for the safety of regional communities and economies, Mayor Jones says they are pushing hard for change.
“Despite hosting three federal highways, two state roads and five regional roads pulsing with freight and people through our shire we are yet to see Yass formally recognised as a Strategic Centre in the NSW Transport Plan,” she says.
NSW Infrastructure’s 2019 Barton Highway Business Case showed the highway’s current single-lane carriageway had surpassed capacity, with traffic across the border predicted to increase from 13,000 to more than 21,000 vehicle movements by 2037.
Despite this, Mayor Jones says the bypass project has fallen to 31st in planning priority and 58th in delivery priority among 60 TfNSW Strategic Regional priorities.
As of July 28, 2026, the actual delivery of the Barton Highway duplication project doesn’t rate at all in the current NSW South East & Tablelands Strategic Transport plan.
Deputy Mayor Kristin Butler, a long time resident to Murrumbateman, says the Barton Highway has always formed a part of her family’s daily life, along with more than 13,000 other vehicles every day.
“Duplication was announced in 2017. Nine years on, we have seven kilometres finished and Stage 2 still in planning,” she says.
“At that rate my grandchildren will cut the ribbon on the last stage.
“We now have a primary school on the highway with no crossing and no lights. We’ve lost people on this road. Every delay accepts that risk for another year.
“We need this funded for safety and for the vital connectivity route it provides for an expanding Yass Valley/Canberra partnership.”
Yass Valley Council CEO, Gayleen Burley, says the Barton Highway also serves NSW as an alternative route in the emergency management of the Hume Highway traffic during dual carriageway incidents that combines a “concerning volume” of heavy haulage traffic.
In recent weeks, the highway has been under immense stress and traffic due to several truck incidents on the Hume Highway, that has seen both lanes closed for several hours during each accident.
According to Mayor Jones, Council will continue to work with the local community and peak road safety industry bodies to advocate for the full duplication of the Barton Highway, and the delivery of a Murrumbateman bypass.
More information about Council’s advocacy priorities can be found at www.yassvalley.nsw.gov.au.
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