Dangerous intersections along Booral Road set to be upgraded in coming months

Four dangerous intersections along a busy road, which have been the sites for a number of serious crashes over the years, are set to be upgraded after a safety probe revealed the urgent need for more turning lanes.

Four dangerous intersections along Booral Rd are set to be upgraded in coming months, including with the installation of dedicated turning lanes.

In comes in the wake of a Chronicle campaign that outlined the dangers of the intersections along Booral Road, most of which did not have dedicated turning lanes.

In the wake of a series of crashes at Keen Road in 2019, a wider issue was brought to the attention of Maryborough’s state member Bruce Saunders.

Since then, a number of upgrades have been carried out following an urgent safety audit which was carried out along the notorious stretch.

Keen Road received an upgrade last year.

Now, the Chronicle can reveal four more intersections along the busy road will soon receive upgrades, including dedicated right and left hand turning lanes at Parke Avenue, Condor Drive, Barrenjoey Drive and Bingham Road.

According to information provided by the State Government, the project is aimed at decreasing the risk of rear-end crashes along Booral Road.

The upgrades will start at Bingham Road and will be undertaken progressively at the other intersection, with work to be complete by the second half of the year.

The increased traffic on Booral Road was soon noticed after work began on the Fraser Coast Sports and Recreation Precinct.

The lack of turning lanes left residents in neighbourhoods along Booral Road afraid to turn into their own streets, due to the lack of turning lanes.

Sarah Williams at the Keen and Booral road intersection where her daughter was involved in an accident.

At the time, David Hinz, who had lived on Keen Rd for nearly 30 years, said it was the most dangerous stretch in Hervey Bay.

Another family, living in nearby Scanlon Road, also shared their fears about the road during the Chronicle investigation in 2019.

Robert Cook said his son‘s car had been virtually written off after a crash, followed by a three-car smash that left his son’s girlfriend without a vehicle.

Then, his wife’s car was badly damaged in a crash at the intersection.

Mr Saunders said he was proud of what had been achieved along Booral Rd as a result of the safety audit.