Safety of intersection on New England Highway at Stanthorpe called into question by motorists

A recent incident involving a heavy vehicle on a major intersection in southern Queensland has called into question whether safety upgrades are required. See the response from Transport and Main Roads here.

A road user captured the aftermath of a B-double that rolled on the roundabout of New England Highway and Stanthorpe Connection Road in early hours of May 27, 2024. Photo: Supplied.

A recent truck rollover at a major intersection in the state’s southwest has the community calling for better safety measures to be implemented.

The intersection of New England Highway and Stanthorpe Connection Rd has historically been a hotspot for major accidents, which saw Transport and Main Roads upgrade the T-section in 2019.

Despite the upgrade which saw the construction of a major roundabout to replace the T-intersection, a number of heavy vehicles have rolled over while passing through.

The latest rollover occurred on May 27, which saw the driver taken to Stanthorpe Hospital with minor leg injuries.

Dozens of concerned Granite Belt residents took to social media to express their concerns around the safety of heavy vehicles travelling through.

The intersection of New England Highway and Wallangarra Rd at Stanthorpe has caused a stir, after multiple truck rollovers on the roundabout have called into question whether safety upgrades are needed. Photo: Maps

“Better warning signage obviously needed, when you’re local you know it’s there (but) when you’re from interstate the last thing you expect is a sharp roundabout in the middle of nowhere,” one Facebook user said.

While others took to making suggestions for future safety upgrades to give approaching heavy vehicles better warning of the impending roundabout.

“There are a number of possible solutions for south bound trucks, earlier warnings with flashing lights, night vision, high luminance road markings, ripples strips on the road well ahead of the roundabout,” the commenter said.

The recent change in weather seeing thick fog in the early morning around the Southern Downs and Granite Belt was also suggested to have potential to impact visibility for heavy vehicles.

A road user captured the aftermath of a B-double that rolled on the roundabout of New England Highway and Stanthorpe Connection Road in early hours of May 27, 2024. Photo: Supplied.

Warwick Daily News contacted Transport and Main Roads over residents’ safety concerns, with a spokesperson advising the roundabout was designed to allow for all heavy vehicle movements.

“A roundabout was selected as the most suitable option to reduce the risk and severity of crashes and address all vehicle movement concerns at the intersection,” the spokesperson said.

“TMR has not received complaints regarding safety concerns at the roundabout since its construction.

“The cost and benefits of potential targeted road safety projects are assessed on a statewide basis to prioritise known incident locations for funding.

“The roundabout was designed to allow for all heavy vehicle movements, including B-doubles and road trains.”

Originally published as Safety of intersection on New England Highway at Stanthorpe called into question by motorists