Minns government announces $200m investment in regional road safety

Premier Chris Minns has announced a $200 million program to fix 72 notorious roads across NSW. See the full list of what’s being upgraded.

A notorious stretch of road on the Mitchell Highway where an Orange family narrowly avoided tragedy last year will get vital upgrades, as part of a $200 million regional road safety blitz to prevent over 2,000 deaths or serious injuries.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal that the Minns government will undertake 72 road safety projects across rural, regional and remote areas of NSW in a bid to drive down the road toll and get bush drivers home safely.

Deaths on regional roads make up about two thirds of all road deaths, despite regional communities only amounting to a third of the state’s population.

NSW Premier Chris Minns during questioning at Budget Estimates in State Parliament on Wednesday. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

The money will come from the second round of the government’s $2.8 billion Towards Zero-Safer Roads Program.

The government expects the $202 million in safety upgrades will prevent more than 2,000 deaths or serious injuries caused by road crashes.

The upgrades may include new safety barriers and shoulder widening.

Premier Chris Minns will make the announcement in his address to the Telegraph’s Bush Summit in Orange on Thursday.

“Any life lost on our roads is a tragedy,” Mr Minns said.

“We ask drivers to take every precaution they can to be safe on our roads. It’s important the government also does everything we can to make our roads as safe as possible for those travelling on them,” he said.

One project getting much needed funding will be a stretch of road on the Mitchell Highway labelled a “roller coaster” by Orange couple Denise and Matthew Hutchison.

Matt and Denise Hutchison crashed on the Mitchell highway after hitting an unmarked patch of potholed road, while driving son Tate to a motorcycling day. Picture: Supplied

The parents have been campaigning for safety upgrades after they crashed on an unmarked black spot in January last year while driving their son Tate to a motorcycle training day.

“We came around the corner and hit the first patch of road and the trailer started to fishtail,” Ms Hutchison said.

“We hit a section of road that was like a roller coaster, and the whole back of the trailer launched into the air.

“It smashed into the side of the bridge, that caused the car to flip around.”

Mr Hutchison was able to get the car off the side of the road, moments before an oncoming hatchback sped past.

The crash “traumatised” their son, now aged 11, who had been a keen rider of kids’ motorbikes.

Matt and Denise Hutchison were driving with their son, Tate, at the time of the crash.

Since the crash, Matt and Denise Hutchison have been campaigning for safety upgrades on the road.

“The passion’s gone,” Ms Hutchison said.

Mr Hutchison said the family was lucky to survive.

“If a car was coming the other way at the time we crashed, we wouldn’t be here. We ended up sideways on the other side of the road in oncoming traffic,” he said.

“We’ve got to have our cars roadworthy, so the roads should be roadworthy too.”

The stretch of road will get almost $7.3 million for shoulder widening, installation of wide centre-line and a safety barrier.

Regional Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison said the upgrades will save lives.

“The projects under this program vary in size, location and cost, but the really important thing they have in common is that they will all improve the safety of the people driving on them,” she said.