- McGowan Government invests $28.4 million in WA Safer Roads Program
- Will fund 24 regional upgrades and one metropolitan road upgrade
- Works to include road widening, realignment and intersection upgrades
The State Government has renewed its commitment to getting road users home safe every day, with a $28.4 million funding injection to the WA Safer Roads Program.
The commitment will fund 24 regional road safety initiatives, and one in the Perth metropolitan area.
The WA Safer Roads Program, which was launched by the Gallop Labor Government in 2004, aims to fund initiatives to make the road network safer for all road users including pedestrians and cyclists.
The 24 regional projects funded under the program include:
- $5.8 million for the first stage of an intersection upgrade on Bussell Highway and Fairway Drive in Busselton to improve safety and traffic flow;
- $4.3 million for widening works on the Brand Highway north of Cataby;
- $3.5 million to realign the Bowelling Curves on the Collie-Lake King Road in the Wheatbelt; and
- $2 million for widening works on Victoria Highway in the Kimberley.
In the Perth metropolitan area, $200,000 has been provided to continue the rollout of road safety barriers on highways and freeways.
The initiative is part of the McGowan Government's wider job-creating $3.2 million investment into road projects in Western Australia, with more than $136 million in funding allocated to road safety projects in 2018-19.
As noted by Transport Minister Rita Saffioti:
"While many of us will travel on WA roads for our entire lives without being involved in a serious accident, the sad fact of vehicle travel is that it comes with an inherent risk.
"Safer Roads' aim is to create more forgiving roads and roadside environments to reduce safety risks, and the trauma and suffering of crash victims and their loved ones.
"Simple things like widening or realigning a problem stretch of road can make a huge difference."
As noted by Road Safety Minister Michelle Roberts:
"People travelling on our regional roads have just as much right to safe road infrastructure as those in the city.
"Unfortunately many of these roads were built in an earlier era, without the knowledge we now have about safe system road design treatments.
"With seven out of every 10 serious crashes on regional roads involving a single vehicle running off the side of the road, treatments like sealing the road shoulders and audible edge-lining while not always obvious are saving lives and reducing injuries.
"Evaluation has shown that in three years we saved up to 70 people from serious trauma and for every $1 spent, the community received a $2.20 benefit in safety.
"These grants will help numerous local communities improve their road infrastructure, and further solidifies our commitment to ensuring road users all throughout WA can travel safely."
