Calls to halt roadworks on deadly stretch of Mona Vale Rd until the rest of the surface gets upgraded
AN ADVOCACY group has called for roadworks announced to upgrade safety on a deadly stretch of road to take a back seat, stating the western section of Mona Vale Rd must be upgraded first.
Manly
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AN ADVOCACY group has called for roadworks announced to upgrade safety on a deadly stretch of road to take a back seat, stating the western section of Mona Vale Rd must be upgraded first.
On Friday, the Manly Daily revealed that a tenderer had been selected and a range works were set to start by February next year.
Friends of Mona Vale spokesman Phil Walker said they had been in meetings with the Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) and Pittwater MP Rob Stokes, but no one would listen to “common sense”.
He argued existing bottlenecks on the western side of Mona Vale Rd would be worsened by a widening of the eastern side.
Pittwater MP Rob Stokes announced that Georgiou Group was the successful tenderer to undertake roadworks worth $140 million.
The works — between Foley St at Mona Vale and Manor Rd at Ingleside — will involve building additional climbing and descending lanes to improve travel times and the introduction of median separation.
A heavy vehicle arrester bed — a Safety Bay filled with soft sand and gravel to slow down out-of-control trucks — will be constructed at the steepest point of Mona Vale Rd.
The upgrade will widen the road to four lanes over the 3.2km stretch.
Detailed road design works are continuing for Mona Vale Rd West, between Powder Works Rd at Ingleside and Mccarrs Creek Road at Terrey Hills.
The steep hill on Mona Vale Rd, coming from Ingleside, has been the scene of two fatal truck crashes.
In 1998 father of four Silverio Garcia was killed when a truck hit his car.
His car was then pushed into a house, killing 13-year-old Nicole Everson.
And in 2013 two people died when a petrol tanker burst into flames near Samuel St.
But advocacy group Friends of Mona Vale has called for the project to be reversed, with the west side done first.
Group spokesman Phil Walker said they the group had long stated concerns that the current plan would only serve to intensify existing bottlenecks on the peninsula’s north.
“We have had discussions with RMS network general manager Steven Head and an onsite meeting with Matty Mathivanar project manager for Mona Vale Rd East regarding this issue in what we maintain is a mistake doing the east upgrade first,” he said.
“It will only worsen the bottleneck at the Baha’i Temple and Powderworks Road
intersection (in Ingleside).
“Vehicles when travelling from Mona Vale up Mona Vale Rd will arrive at that
location quicker.
“This together with the existing traffic coming up Powderworks Road from Narrabeen will be a far worse bottleneck than is presently the case.
“This will result in more delays than at present, as all traffic will still have to merge into the one west bound lane.
“Additional traffic delays, driver frustration and reduced safety will result.”
He said the group had requested an additional meeting with the RMS, but had been refused.
“We have also had discussions with local member Rob Stokes and no one will listen to
commonsense that it is obvious that Mona Vale Road west must be upgraded first.”
Pittwater MP Rob Stokes told the Manly Daily extensive community consultation had been done, and it was overwhelmingly in favour of doing the eastern side first.
“There was very clear feedback,” he said.
“Obviously the whole road needs to be done, you have got to start at one end the determination made following community participation was to do the section where the serious road accidents and fatalities had occurred.”