It’s the news Parkes and Forbes residents have been waiting for - the southern access to the town off the Newell Highway is open.

The southern access opened to traffic on Friday evening and connects the former highway, now Forbes Road, to the Parkes Bypass/Newell Highway once again.

Transport for NSW staff were spotted peeling off the tape covering ‘Forbes’ on road signs along the route on Saturday morning.

Both the northern and southern roads to Dubbo and Forbes were closed when the bypass opened in April as crews worked to connect those roads to the new section of the highway.

The northern access opened a month ago.

Parkes Shire Council worked with Transport for NSW during the planning and design stages of the bypass with the aim of having four key entry points into Parkes - a good entry in the south, a good entry in the north and an opportunity to turn in the middle if drivers missed these roads, and the Victoria Street bridge to and from the Parkes Christian School and beyond.

There's also a road directly to the Parkes Golf Club off the bypass and access to the town's industrial area, that being London Road.