THERE were no surprises when this year’s state budget was handed down on Tuesday, with the Coalition staying true to election promises for the Hunter.
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Newcastle’s light rail plans were the centrepiece of the budget for the Hunter, with $103 million allocated to the project.
The Hunter region will also be peppered with money for health, law and order, education and road projects.
Planning for the final stage of the Newcastle Inner-City Bypass will receive $14 million, with the most recent set of plans not viewed favourably by many residents around New Lambton Heights, Rankin Park and Elermore Vale.
Construction of the project is not expected to start until 2017.
The state government has also committed $26 million to the Hunter Infrastructure and Investment Fund to local projects.
More than $12 million of that money will go towards the University of Newcastle’s New Space project with the rest of the money to go to projects yet to be specified.
Another $227 million has been allocated for Hunter roads over the coming financial year.
The final $20.6 million needed for the new Newcastle Justice Precinct has also been included.
In the health sector, John Hunter Children’s Hospital will benefit from $4.3 million to continue the redevelopment of its Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.
Another $1 million will go towards the John Hunter Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
The emergency services budget includes $2.65 million to complete work on a new $3.6 million fire station at Maryland and $1.45 million to complete work on a new $4.6 million fire station for Lambton.
Another $12.2 million is allocated for Lake Macquarie police stations, with most of the money going to the completion of the Belmont station under construction.
