New road safety upgrades and improvements will be delivered in New England thanks to funding from the Australian Government.
Deputy Prime Minister and Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce said the funding will deliver crucial road safety improvements, while also supporting shovel-ready construction activity.
"Almost $11 million will fund new safety upgrades and improvements to help reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries occurring on our roads," Mr Joyce said.
Key Facts:
The Federal funding contributions include several on the Waterfall Way:
- $2,634,504 to install audio-tactile edge and centre lines on the Waterfall Way (Armidale to Dorrigo) and improve the shoulder width, install roadside safety barrier, and upgrade an intersection.
- $1,990,535 to widen, seal and instal audio-tactile centre line, Waterfall Way - Pantons Gully to Ebor Rubbish Tip (Full project).
- $3,776,337 to widen the shoulder, seal and instal audio-tactile centre line, Waterfall Way - Sandy Creek to Wakefield Road.
Other projects include:
- $1,190,535 to install audio-tactile edge and centre lines on the New England Highway, widen shoulders and install guardrail.
- $1,131,909 to instal flexible barriers along the roadside and median strip at the Oxley Highway - Goddards Lane Heavy Vehicle Intersection (Tamworth).
- $214,657 for the instalation of incremental traversable clearzone on the Oxley Highway.
"This vital funding provides a critical boost to local jobs and the economy in an uncertain environment, but it also delivers life-saving upgrade works to help keep people safe on our roads," Mr Joyce said.
"The most important thing we can do for our community is ensure we all get home safely as currently around 1,200 people die and 40,000 are seriously injured on our roads each year.
Mr Joyce who is also Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development said one life lost on Australian roads is one too many.
"That's why the Australian Government has committed $3 billion for the nationwide Road Safety Program."
Mr Joyce said, "Our Government is committed to keeping our communities safe, while securing our economic recovery.
"The funding supports the fast roll-out of life-saving safety works on rural and regional roads and is another example of the Australian Government working to reduce the number of Australians missing around the dinner table due to tragedies on our roads," Mr Joyce said.
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 protect vulnerable road users across New South Wales, 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.
Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport, Scott Buchholz said road safety was a key priority for the Australian Government and this investment in road upgrades would provide a boost to the economy while ensuring Australians can get home sooner and safer.
"Making our roads safer is a critical component of our work to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads and move towards achieving vision zero-that is zero deaths or serious injuries on our roads by 2050," Mr Buchholz said.
"We are also investing significantly in other life-saving road safety initiatives including the Black Spot Program, the Targeted Road Safety Works initiative and the Road Safety Innovation Fund.
"This additional funding complements that work, resulting in an even greater roll out of improved infrastructure and roads right across the nation."
