THE state's freight and livestock carriers are set to benefit from a new state-of-the-art truck wash at Warialda in the state's North West.
Funded by all three levels of government, the $6.5 million project was officially opened on Monday by Parkes MP Mark Coulton, NSW Agriculture Minister and Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall, and Gwydir shire mayor John Coulton.
One of the busiest transport routes in the state, truckies wasted little time taking advantage of the new facility, with several trucks lining up to use the new truck wash on Monday afternoon.
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"We are very proud of our state-of-the-art truck wash - a very modern facility," Gwydir mayor John Coulton said.
"There has been a healthy interest shown by the industry and this facility will help to remove the effluent from our roads that falls from stock trucks."
NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said the facility would offer significant benefits for livestock operators and producers across the North West.
"As a freight hub located on one of Australia's biggest transport routes, Warialda is a natural choice for improved infrastructure," Mr Marshall said.
"Delivering this truck wash shows the NSW Government's commitment to helping our primary production industries and vital freight network that the North West - and so many other regional areas - rely upon to keep economies ticking."
Parkes MP Mark Coulton said the new facility was proof of the federal government's support of regional areas.
"This project is about supporting our stock carriers to improve their efficiency and truck cleanliness, which I know has been widely welcomed by the Warialda community," Mr Coulton said.
"I'm proud to be part of a government that is investing in rural and regional areas to ensure these communities have the infrastructure assets they need to thrive."
NSW Regional Transport and Roads Minister Paul Toole said the facility would give local operators a place where stock effluent could be removed from trucks and trailers in an environmentally-friendly fashion.
"The facility provides a huge benefit to the broader community through the removal of stock effluent from town streets, rural roads and other areas where effluent tanks were traditionally emptied," Mr Toole said.
"With the amount of freight moved across NSW expected to increase by 12 per cent to 286 million tonnes by 2036, the NSW Government is investing $543 million into our Fixing Country Roads program to unlock regional job opportunities in construction, and upgrade freight routes to save time and deliver smoother, safer and more efficient bridges and roads."
Members of the trucking community with an Avdata key are able to access the facility.
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