Truck drivers will sleep easier on the trip between Walgett and Brewarrina shires after the state and federal governments announced a $1.75 upgrade to the Yambie Lagoon rest stop.

The rest stop sits 60 kilometres east of Brewarrina township, right on the border between the two shires.

The nearly $2 million price tag wasn't lost on local mayors who spoke to the Western Plains App.

The current stop is an approximate 100-metre bitumen stretch off the northern side of the highway with two bins.

The upgrade will extend the existing bitumen and mirror it on the southern side of the road.

Toilet and shelter facilities will be constructed as well as picnic tables and extended parking for heavy and light vehicles

Works are expected to begin in early 2025.

The Brewarrina-Walgett boundary where the Yambie Lagoon rest stop sits. IMAGE: Google Maps

Brewarrina Shire mayor Vivian Slack-Smith she understands the money "did sound exorbitant" for a rest stop upgrade.

"But by the time you design the signage, changes to the road and the building itself and everything that goes with putting a rest stop on the side of the road, it quickly gets up to that amount of money," Cr Slack-Smith said.

"It is pretty exciting, both for long-haul trucks and normal people needing to stop.

"There's not many trees along the road."

Walgett Shire mayor Jasen Ramien also welcomed the commitment and he'd like to see more like it.

"Especially in shires with a long distance between towns," Cr Ramien said. 

"There are a couple of rest stops between Collarenebri and Moree. I'd like to see one halfway between Collarenebri and Walgett. There are a lot of truck drivers that leave Walgett and there's absolutely nowhere to get off until they get off the road."

“Driver fatigue is one of the top three factors leading to fatal crashes on NSW roads, contributing to at least 21 per cent of heavy vehicle fatal crashes in regional NSW in the five years since December 2019," Federal Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Carol Brown said.

“The Australian Government’s Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program supported projects that aim to improve access to rest areas for drivers of larger vehicles, providing more opportunities to manage fatigue and their regulatory requirements."

The project is funded by the Australian Government under the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, as well as the NSW Government.

A Transport for NSW spokesperson said they were unable to give further details on the project since the design has not been finalised.

The spokesperson also said Transport for NSW will have ongoing management of the area when upgrades are completed.

Transport Workers Union NSW State Secretary Richard Olsen. PHOTO: supplied

The peak body representing long haul drivers say that for a rest area to be effective it has to deliver a full suite of facilities.

Transport Workers Union NSW State Secretary Richard Olsen said the final design should come with similar worker facilities found in factories and offices.

"Fixing fatigue is not just a sealed road on the side of the highway, you've got to have proper amenities," Mr Olsen said.

"If we had toilets, amenities, showers, a place to sit down and watch the news for half an hour before we have to go back in the truck - and then a place to go and sleep if you were on a seven hour break - that should be an option for truck drivers. I think that's reasonable."