Road users across the state are set to benefit from a $135 million investment in road safety projects under the latest round of the $822 million Safer Roads Program.
Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance said 78 lifesaving projects will be financed this year through the Community Road Safety Fund.
“The Safer Roads program is estimated to prevent the loss of more than 1500 lives and serious injuries on our roads over 15 years. That’s 1500 people making it home safely to their families because of these projects,” Mr Constance said.
“We want to ensure everyone who travels on our roads makes it home safely at the end of the day. That’s why all money generated from the mobile speed camera program goes directly into the Community Road Safety Fund to deliver lifesaving projects like these.
“This year we will see $43 million go towards projects across metropolitan NSW, with the other $92 million dedicated to the regions.”
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole said this latest round of the program built on the Federal and NSW Government’s $408 million commitment in March to deliver hundreds of projects designed to reduce road trauma and save lives.
“Both governments have a shared goal of no deaths or serious injuries on our roads, because no one should have to hear the devastating news that a loved one has lost their life in a crash,” Mr Toole said.
“More than $92 million of this funding will be invested in making our regional roads safer through improvements like safety barriers, rumble strips and wide centrelines.
“We know how important good roads are in the bush – projects like these are ensuring every trip is a safer one and building on our vision for a safer, stronger regional NSW.”
This latest investment in the Safer Roads Program will deliver:
- 28 kilometres of safety barrier, which absorb impact forces and protect vehicle occupants, reducing the severity of head-on and run-off-road crashes by up to 95 per cent.
- 167 kilometres of rumble strips to alert motorists they are departing from their lane, reducing the likelihood of this crash type by up to 25 per cent.
- More than 30 kilometres of wide centreline providing a greater distance for drivers to recover from lane departure, reducing the likelihood of head-on crashes by up to 50 per cent and run-off-road crashes by up to 25 per cent.
- 313 high-risk rural curve improvements including shoulder sealing, safety barriers, rumble strips, signage upgrades and line-marking upgrades.
- 47 urban intersection improvement projects including roundabouts and traffic signal upgrades.