Work is underway on improving the safety of the Midland Highway – one of Tasmania’s most strategic passenger and freight routes.
Contracts have been awarded to Tasmanian civil construction companies for six priority projects along the highway – projects that will employ about 180 people and inject $16 million into the local economy.
Work on the projects is expected to continue until April 2015:
• South of Kempton road widening over 3km to install safety barrier – Hazell Bros ($4.4m);
• South of Spring Hill road widening over 3km to install safety barrier – Hazell Bros ($4.3m);
• North of Spring Hill road widening over 3km to install safety barrier – VEC Civil Engineering ($3.4m);
• South of Tunbridge curve improvement – Shaw Contracting ($1.1m);
• Esk Main Road Junction to Conara northbound acceleration lane – Shaw Contracting ($1.6m); and
• Kings Meadows Connector new roundabout to address queuing onto the Midland Highway – VEC Civil Engineering ($1.2m).
Rene Hidding, Tasmania’s Minister for Infrastructure, said the upgrades were about improving safety as soon as possible at high-risk locations and were part of the State and Federal Government agreement to invest $500 million in improving the Midland Highway.
Mr Hidding said the government remained committed to progressively upgrading the Midland Highway to four lanes, but safety issues had to be recognised.
“The crash history of the highway demands that the focus in the immediate term must be on safety improvements at targeted sites to help lower the risk of serious casualties.
“Using the AusRAP methodology – which is the national road safety audit approach initiated by the combined national motoring associations, including the RACT – our objective is to lift the safety standard of this strategic highway to a minimum 3 Star AusRAP safety rating over its entire length.”
Mr Hidding said between Bagdad and Perth, more than 70 per cent of crashes were single-vehicle loss of control or head-on crashes.
“That is why we’re installing median flexible safety barriers, which reduce the risk of serious injury crashes by up to 90 per cent, installing audible edge lines – rumble strips – and removing roadside hazards.