It's hoped tourism numbers will increase between Coonamble and Coonabarabran following a $18.2 million boost to upgrade the Tooraweenah Road.

Parkes MP Mark Coulton contacted Coonamble Shire mayor Dan Keady on Wednesday 18 December to confirm the Federal Government has committed the funds, which will allow the council to seal 27 kilometres of road.

Coonamble Shire now has to wait for a funding agreement with the government, although construction is expected to begin in early 2025. 

"That's a very important link to back to Coonabarabran and all that lovely country," grazier Paul Underwood said, who lives about 40 kilometres from Coonamble on the road.

"We've had caravans bogged on this bit of dirt here because they'd missed the sign saying 'don't travel in the wet' etcetera."

Farmer Cameron Halfpenny, who lives on the road near the boundary between Gilgandra and Coonamble shires, said sealing will prevent his grandchildren from missing school during heavy rains.

The Tooraweenah Road runs through the Warrumbungle National Park. IMAGE: Chinmoy Mukerjee

"It dries up pretty quick. We try to stay home for a couple days, but it's hard if the kids have got to go to school," Cameron said.

Council has requested an April 2029 competition date as part of the funding agreement. 

The project is expected to use Council laborers and contractors.

The injection brings the total commitment to about $41 million for the Tooraweenah Road Upgrade.

"It'll take a while to construct the road, but it gives us the financial room to get it done," Coonamble mayor Dan Keady said.

The project has run its fair share of delays.

In 2019, the Federal Government announced it would free nearly $23 million for the works.

However, the project's design needed to be approved by the NSW Government and that process took much longer than anticipated.

In November 2020, a frustrated council voted to seek help from Parkes MP Mark Coulton to unblock the approval.

The commitment was secured but things did not move quickly.

In March 2022 a council meeting heard the commencement of work was "a matter of months" away and should be completed by March 2024, but by the time the council came under new leadership in late 2022, it was clear that the budget would no longer fit the bill. 

Throughout 2023, Council grappled with ways to rein in the costs, agreeing in July to shelve the upgrades to the existing sealed section and concentrate grant funds on the new seal.

Progress stalled in August 2024 after councillors rejected tenders to construct the road due to a lack of funds.

Coonamble mayor Dan Keady said he can understand community scepticism about progress.

"It has been going for a long time," Cr Keady said.

"There'll be designing in place to try and get the road right - so there'll be a few more hoops to jump - but I'm confident that we can start getting some shovels in the ground early in the first quarter next year."