By ED SOUTHORN

FIRDOUS Todiee and her architect husband Sirullah travelled from Pakistan to settle on the Tweed five years ago.

Mr Todiee's Bahai faith led him to Pakistan to escape religious persecution in Iran.

His mother and sister live in Lennox Head, so migrating to Australia was not difficult.

The Todiee family home on Terranora Road is less than 200 metres from the Sexton Hill traffic lights.

While their new lifestyle may be more comfortable than the life they left behind, the Todiees are moving because of traffic congestion and road noise.

"We're moving not too far away, but there's lots of noise and we've seen quite a few accidents," Mrs Todiee said.

She said this week's announcement by NSW Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal of a $190 million plan to improve local traffic flow and re-route the Pacific Highway around Sexton Hill was a great idea ? even if residents have to wait until 2009.

"It's a good thing they're going to fix the hill," Mrs Todiee said.

Tweed MP Neville Newell said the joint federal-state funding was allocated for Sexton Hill last December, after Roads and Traffic Authority options went on public display, but the project had been delayed while a tunnel option was assessed and then rejected.

"The project now has to go to an environmental impact assessment," Mr Newell said.

"There are statutory processes that have to be followed, but the Iemma government wants to get on with this as quickly as possible."