The Australian and Tasmanian governments have committed $27.5 million to five road upgrade projects across the state.
The money will go towards a variety of safety upgrades including shoulder sealing, junction realignment and traffic signal installation.
Upgrades have been targeted at sections of highways, local roads and intersections known for previous incidents and serious crashes:
- Installing traffic signals at the intersection of Brooker Highway and Foreshore Road in Montrose
- Realigning the junction at Waddles Road and Pipers River Road near Karoola
- Road widening and creating a right-turn lane at the intersection of Midland Highway and Lake Leake Highway in Campbell Town
- Realigning Frankford Road and Chapel Road at Harford into a T-junction
- Shoulder sealing on a section of Sheffield Main Road.
Junction alignments and shoulder sealing aim to reduce lane departure crashes, which have been the main cause of serious injuries and deaths on Tasmanian roads.
Tasmanian Minister for Transport Eric Abetz said, “We’re pleased to be working collaboratively with the Australian Government to help reduce fatal and serious road accidents across Tasmania.
“Not only do these road safety upgrades help reduce the number of crashes on Tasmania’s road network, they also reduce the ongoing cost of maintaining these sections of road by prolonging the life of the road surfaces.”
The Australian Government is providing $22 million towards the projects under the Road Safety Program, with the Tasmanian Government contributing $5.5 million.
Through the program, Tasmania will also provide road safety data to help shape future policy and further road safety improvements.