THE green light has finally been given to an extension of Kirkwood Rd at Tweed Heads South to alleviate traffic congestion on Minjungbal Dr in the heart of the often-clogged commercial district.

Yesterday Tweed mayor Kevin Skinner said a council decision on Tuesday to grant development approval for an extension of Kirkwood Rd westward, with on- and off-ramps at the Pacific Highway, meant major work should be completed by the end of next year.

He said motorists, shoppers and battling business people in particular needed the new road, which provides an alternative access to Tweed Heads South instead of currently congested routes along Kennedy Dr and over Sexton Hill.

“The people of South Tweed in particular are going through a horrendous time at the moment,” Cr Skinner said.

“There's businesses closing in that South Tweed precinct unfor- tunately at this point in time.

“They badly need this Kirkwood Rd interchange. The economy is very tough for small business, and to have the Sexton Hill bypass chopping away at their business the way it has, they really need this.”

Cr Skinner said the first stage of work, to begin within months, would see Kirkwood Rd extended to the Pacific Highway with on- and off-ramps on the eastern side to and from the southbound lanes of the highway.

The news was welcomed by The Good Guys Tweed Heads South proprietor Rory Curtis, who heads a local business group which lobbied to get the road extension.

“About time. We need this link road.

'It allows people to avoid Kennedy Dr and it would take the congestion away,” Mr Curtis said.

Only Greens Party councillor Katie Milne voted against approval of the council's own development application for a two-lane extension of Kirkwood Rd from the intersection of Falcon Way westwards.

Council engineers said the complete project would include an overpass over the highway along with a northbound off-ramp, southbound off-ramp and southbound on-ramp.

Work on the later stagescould take up to the year 2020. A report by engineers also revealed the new road will stop traffic using Sunshine Ave to get to the Tweed Heads Crematorium and Memorial Gardens.

Instead, a left turn into the cemetery will be provided from the new section of Kirkwood Rd, with no traffic access into Sunshine Ave from Kirkwood Rd.

“It is proposed to under- take the above development in two stages, with the de- velopment of Kirkwood Rd from Falcon Way to the Pacific Highway and the provision of southbound on- and off-ramps comprising Stage 1A,” engineers said in their report.

“Stage 1B would consist of the devel- opment of Kirkwood Rd from Fraser Dr to the Pacific Highway, the Pacific Highway overpass and the northbound off-ramp from Pacific Highway to Kirkwood Rd.”