MILLIONS IN FUNDING FOR ROAD SAFETY UPGRADES ACROSS THE RIVERINA AND CENTRAL WEST

The Riverina and Central West will share in a $408 million road safety funding blitz across New South Wales in an Australian-NSW Government partnership designed to save lives.

Five road projects within the Riverina electorate will be improved as part of more than $29 million in funding to enhance road safety across the region.

Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development and Member for Riverina Michael McCormack said the Australian and NSW Governments were working tirelessly to ensure works started immediately and were completed by June to get people home sooner and safer.

“As someone who proudly lives, works and has raised a family in regional NSW, I know just how important safe, efficient road connections are to local communities,” Mr McCormack said.

“That’s why we are rolling out this funding to deliver lifesaving upgrades including shoulder widening and rumble strips along the Newell Highway near Alleena and south-west of Forbes, the widening of a section of Goldenfields Way north of Barmedman, upgrading the Burley Griffin and Mary Gilmore ways intersection at Bryces Hill Road, just south of Ariah Park, and a number of safety measures along the Sturt Highway from Wagga Wagga to Mildura which will help to prevent collisions and road crashes and protect against roadside hazards.

“This investment won’t just save lives, it will also provide a shot in the arm to local economies as we come back from the COVID-19 recession, with these projects expected to support many local jobs.”

State Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke said the projects were vital in improving road safety around the region.

“The start of 2021 has been marked by some truly awful tragedies on our local roads, so every project we can fund to improve road safety is vital,” Ms Cooke said.

“I am so pleased the Commonwealth Government is working with us to deliver these projects across the Cootamundra electorate.”

Member of the NSW Legislative Council Wes Fang said the NSW Government was committed to improving road safety.

“These lifesaving upgrades build on our vision for a safer, stronger regional NSW and you can expect to see shovels hitting the ground right away on these latest projects” Mr Fang said.

“The gateway treatments, safety barrier installation and upgraded intersection on the Sturt Highway are projects specifically designed to save lives on our roads to ensure people get home to their families at the end of the day.

“This latest round of funding is on top of the $258 million the NSW Government is already investing through its 2020/21 Safer Roads Program across NSW”.

NSW Upper House MP Sam Farraway said that this funding shows the dedication of The Nationals in Government to improving regional road safety.

“We remain committed to reducing our states road toll. Last year 297 lives were lost on roads in the state of New South Wales, I think we can all agree that is 297 too many,” Mr Farraway said.

“There’s nothing more important than someone getting home safely to their family at the end of the day and these works will do just that by improving the Newell Highway, widening shoulders and installing new centre line markings that will alert drivers when they move too close to the wrong side of the road.”

NSW Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said safety barriers, rumble strips and wide centrelines were among the measures being rolled out under the program designed to save lives.

“As part of this investment, 261 priority projects will be delivered across NSW – 150 of these on regional roads, building on our vision of a safer, stronger regional NSW,” Mr Toole said.

“These projects will help prevent the loss of more than 538 lives and serious injuries on our roads over the project life – that’s the difference between 538 people making it home safely to their families at the end of the day.”

The Australian Government’s funding for the Road Safety Program is subject to ‘use it or lose it’ provisions and will deliver life-saving treatments on regional roads and to protect vulnerable road users across NSW, while also supporting local jobs and providing a welcome boost to local economies.

The ‘use it or lose it’ provisions require States and Territories to use their notionally allocated funds within a timeframe, or the funds can be reallocated to projects in other jurisdictions.

In total, the Australian Government has committed up to $300 million and the NSW Government a further $108.2 million to fund the state-wide upgrades under tranche one.

For more information on the Australian Government’s road safety initiatives, visit www.officeofroadsafety.gov.au.

Project name/Road Corridor | Treatments to be applied | Length | Tranche 1 cost | Federal Government contribution

Sturt Highway | Install rural gateway treatment (high to low speed transition); separate through and parking lane with painted line reinforced with kerb blisters; install flexible barrier on roadside | 554.8km | $12,037,215 | $9,629,772

Newell Highway - Alleena | Install profile (audio-tactile) edge line; install flexible barrier on roadside; install wide painted profile (audio-tactile) centre line; widen shoulder from 0.5m sealed to >1m sealed on straight | 4.1km | $3,439,122 | $2,751,298

Newell Highway – Gullifers | Install profile (audio-tactile) edge line; widen shoulder from 0.5m sealed to >1m sealed on straight; install wide painted profile (audio-tactile) centre line | 7.9km | $12,366,413 | $9,893,130

Goldenfields Way – Barmedman | Install wide painted profile (audio-tactile) centre line; install profile (audio- tactile) edge line; widen shoulder from 0.5m sealed to >1m sealed on straight | 1.5km | $670,802 | $536,641

Burley Griffin Way – Ariah Park | Upgrade T-junction intersection to improve safety for turning traffic | 0.1km | $670,802 | $536,641

Shane Manning