The walking and cycleway around Lake Forbes will soon be finished thanks to a NSW government grant of $75,000.
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Member for Orange Andrew Gee was in Forbes yesterday to officially announce the funding for Forbes Shire Council, which will see the completion of the footpath around Lake Forbes.
Mr Gee said the funding is part of a $40 million state-wide investment by the NSW Liberals and Nationals government which will see more than 380 walking and cycling projects across the state funded to better connect communities, improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists and encourage people to get more active.
“This project will see a 2.5m wide concrete shared path constructed along Lake Forbes around the Aquatic Area from Showground to Show Street,” Mr Gee said.
“This will complete a four-stage project by Forbes Shire Council to link a 10km loop path around Lake Forbes.
“I am pleased the Forbes community will benefit from this project delivered in partnership with Forbes Shire Council.”
The project is expected to be completed by the end of this financial year. Council’s construction supervisor Tim Smart said it has been a continuous project with about 50 lineal metres of concrete poured a day and about five or six council workers working on it at all times.
“Once we get going on this last section there’ll be about another 800 metres to go,” he said.
“There’s not long now, we’ll hopefully be finished before the end of the financial year.”
Mr Smart said once the path is complete, people will be able to get to any school or the medical centre and hospital without leaving the cycleway.
Forbes mayor Phyllis Miller said the completion of the walking and cycleway will be a great thing for the community of Forbes.
“We’re just terribly excited about finishing off this project,” she said.
“It has been really important to council that we have this facility for the health and wellbeing of all of the community and we thank Andrew Gee for the funding.”
Mr Gee said the path is a wonderful community asset.
“This walkway and cycleway will further enhance Forbes’ reputation as one of the most picturesque and liveable towns in western NSW,” he said.
With cycling more popular than ever before and with walking trips on the rise, Mr Gee said the NSW government was providing the infrastructure needed to support local communities.
“These projects will provide a huge boost for residents and businesses - completing crucial missing links in the city’s/town’s walking and cycling network,” he said.
“If we want to encourage more people to leave the car at home and get active, we need to provide access to safe, convenient and connected walking and cycling networks.
“This investment is about connecting people and places and making a difference to the way residents move around their communities.”
Mr Gee was also in Forbes to announce a $337,000 upgrade to Forbes Courthouse and $12,485 in funding for Forbes and District Tennis Club. More on these in Saturday’s Advocate.