A community-led campaign calling for increased focus and funding on improving the Brown Mountain is claiming a success ahead of the Easter long weekend.
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According to the Fix the Brown non-profit advocacy group, Transport for NSW has agreed to adjust the timing on the traffic lights at two landslip sites to help cope with the expected increase in tourist traffic to and from the Bega Valley and the Sapphire Coast.
Fix the Brown campaign coordinator Jon Gaul said the traffic lights on the Snowy Mountains Highway mountain pass will now will favour eastbound tourist traffic on Easter Thursday and Good Friday and favour westbound returning tourist traffic on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.
"This is welcome recognition by Transport NSW of the tourist traffic delays and traffic jams on Brown Mountain caused by traffic lights at landslip sites with fixed time intervals," Mr Gaul said.
"Delays which we saw at Christmas, New Year and the Australia Day weekend."
Meanwhile, the campaign also welcomed the first step on federal funding participation, with the announcement of joint NSW/federal government funding of a $2.6million, 20-week repair of one of several major landslips restricting traffic on Brown Mountain.
"While this is only a small funding step on one old landslip repair - not the needed major upgrade of the whole mountain pass - it's still a welcome precursor to further substantial federal involvement in upgrading Brown Mountain," Mr Gaul said.
"Federal funding participation represents recognition by Canberra of the strategic importance of the Brown Mountain pass as the vital east-west transport artery between the Canberra, Monaro and Riverina regions and the communities of the Bega Valley and the Sapphire Coast."