The dangerous Maria River Road will be sealed.
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Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams, Member for Oxley Melinda Pavey along with Kempsey Shire Council mayor Liz Campbell and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council's Jeffrey Sharp met with residents for the announcement.
The funding commitment will see the road sealed in the next term of a Coalition government.
Just over 12 months ago, a joint application between both councils to fund the sealing works was knocked back.
The sealing of the road will improve access to the villages on either end - North Shore and Crescent Head.
Kempsey Shire Council mayor Liz Campbell said the funding announcement was the realisation of one of the goals the council had set.
"The community (of Crescent Head) had put forward an argument to say that this is a priority for them," she said.
"So this announcement will be really welcome news.
"There are benefits in the safety, economic and commercial aspects too.
"That road is used for Tea Tree plantations and also our common activities with Port Macquarie-Hastings Council which are important as well.
"The two communities have worked really hard to make sure this was kept top of mind for both our state government representatives."
The news has been welcomed by North Shore residents with Northside Progress Association president Kingsley Searle describing it as a win-win.
The unsealed road links the North Shore and Crescent Head communities.
Mr Searle said the association was over the moon with the announcement bringing the curtain down on more than 30 years of lobbying.
"This has been a long battle with lots of discussions and a lot of talk with council," he said.
"As far as we are concerned there are no negatives in this announcement, only positives.
"As a member of the local Rural Fire Service, the main reason we are so passionate about this is the number of motor vehicle accidents we attend on this stretch of dirt road.
"If we don't get this done, we will one day be attending a fatal accident."
Mr Searle said industries including the Tea Tree plantations, cattle and bee keeping will directly benefit from a sealed surface.
It could also see changes for many of the families living on the unsealed stretch of road.
"Unless you have lived on a nightmare road you don't appreciate how it affects your life," he said.
"We have some families who are home schooling their kids because they can't trust the road.
"We have one local landowner on Maria River Road who had 100 car tyre punctures last year alone.
"This is long overdue."
Mrs Pavey said the work would be carried out under the Fixing Local Roads program.
"The work is likely to cost around $15m but the final costings are yet to be worked through," she said.
"This is the good thing about having the funding up front.
"The project did not meet the benefit cost ratio when it was put forward for funding. This decision is about commonsense.
"It will save both councils a combined $300,000. Those funds can now be invested into other roads within their particular road networks.
"Sealing this road will have a really positive impact on how farmers will see the government investing in their industries," Mrs Pavey said.
Mrs Williams acknowledged that the road was a priority for both Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and Kempsey Shire Council.
"Both councils are very much on the same page with regards to what has to be done," she said.
"There are many diverse industries along the road and they will certainly benefit.
“We’ve listened to our constituents about the state of this road, and are pleased to be able to deliver this upgrade in the next term of government to ensure the local community maintains good, all-weather access to towns, jobs, schools and hospital facilities.”
The announcement made by Melinda Pavey has been met with criticism from the opposing candidates for the seat of Oxley.
Local candidate for Labor, Susan Jenvey, said if Labor wins at the upcoming election they will invest money into regional roads.
"A Daley Labor Government will assist local councils to clear their regional road maintenance backlog by investing an additional $900 million in regional and rural roads," she said.
"If work has been needed for many years on Maria River Road because the road was causing excessive repairs to vehicles for road users, why has this funding ,with no dollar figure attached been announced in the last 8 minutes of this government?"
Candidate for the Greens Arthur Bain also responded to the announcement and said the road has been in need of repairs for years.
"Residents on the road have been urging the Local and State governments to upgrade this road for years," he said.
"Our concern is the increased likelihood of inappropriate development in this beautiful part of Oxley and Port Macquarie."
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