State funding for road upgrades in Sydney, Newcastle, Central Coast

Upgrades to dangerous roads will save 1500 lives and injuries over 15 years, the government has declared as it revealed the 20 sites earmarked for overhauls. Find out where they are planned.

A dicey intersection at Dundas Valley was chosen as the location for the state government to announce the latest sites to be upgraded as part of its $822 million safer roads program, which will also target projects at Mascot and Emu Plains in Sydney along with the Central Coast and Newcastle.

Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward on Wednesday said almost $980,000 would be used for a second right-turn lane from Kissing Point Rd into Stewart St. Part of Kissing Point Rd would be widened to boost safety.

Between 2016 and 2020, there were 37 crashes at the busy spot, where works will be completed in two years.

Ms Ward said a total of $37 million has been injected into the fifth and final instalment of the project for city roads.

“This program, which has been in place since 2018, will be projected to save 1500 lives over 15 years,’’ she said.

“That’s lives and serious injuries prevented. That’s people getting home to their families.’’

Centre for Road Safety Chief Bernard Carlon said the road upgrades were critical with 30,000 people admitted to hospital for crashes in Sydney over the past five years.

He said 41 per cent of those incidents occurred at intersections, such as the one at Kissing Point Rd and Stewart St at Dundas Valley.

The Kissing Point Rd into Stewart St intersection is finally getting an upgrade.

The intersection was ranked third top priority on the list of 20.

Nearby, at Marsden Rd and Stewart St, $82,000 will be used towards installing larger traffic light lanterns.

Mr Carlon said 70 per cent of fatalities happened on country roads compared with 78 per cent of serious injury crashes in urban areas; trauma that leads to almost 10,000 hospital admissions each year.

“The trauma that that creates, the pressure on our hospital system, the police investigations, people from our ambulance service who have to attend those crashes, all of that is reduced by making our roads safer, by implementing these road safety initiatives,” he said.

“Critically we are moving towards zero.’’

Centre for Road Safety chief Bernard Carlon, Parramatta federal Liberal candidate Maria Kovacic, Metropolitan Roads Minister Natalie Ward and Bennelong Liberal candidate Simon Kennedy at Dundas Valley.

The announcement was made with federal Liberal candidates Maria Kovacic for Parramatta and Bennelong hopeful Simon Kennedy.

The black spot at Dundas Valley falls where marginal Parramatta ends and Bennelong begins.

“Not only is it busy, it’s tricky to navigate and it’s dangerous,’’ Ms Kovacic said.

“This means people in Parramatta will get home sooner and safer to their families. Currently, families in western Sydney and Parramatta are taking twice as long to travel to and from work as families in the eastern suburbs and that is something that we are changing with upgrades like this one.’’

In regional NSW, $89 million has been assigned as part of the safer roads program to fund 24 new and ongoing projects.

Latest upgrades announced

Mascot: Wentworth Ave and Sutherland St – Upgrade existing traffic lights to introduce a right-turn arrow.

Minto: Pembroke Rd and Durham St – Development and installation of traffic lights at intersection.

Lidcombe: Joseph St and Olympic Drive – Installation of traffic lights at the intersection and extending the existing right turn bay.

Kurrajong Hills: Bells Line of Rd – Installing curve and advisory warning signs.

McGraths Hill: Windsor Rd near Pitt Town Rd – Widening the existing road, curve realignment and improving delineation (signs and lines).

Pymble: Mona Vale Rd at Fern St – Development funding to investigate mitigations of road safety issues at this location.

Warwick Farm: Hume Highway, north of Governor Macquarie Drive – Installation of raised median to protect vehicles from utilities.

Rydalmere: Victoria Rd and Silverwater Rd – Installing larger traffic light lanterns.

Jamisontown: Mulgoa Rd between M4 Motorway, Jamisontown and Park Rd, Wallacia –

Installation of new and extending existing safety barriers and delineation (signs and lines)

Mulgoa: Mulgoa Rd and Roscrea Drive – Widen existing shoulder and right-turn facility.

Emu Plains: Great Western Highway- Install a raised median, improve traffic light phasing to enable safer pedestrian crossings.

Randwick: Alison Rd, Belmore Rd and Cook St – Improve line marking and improving traffic light phasing to enable safer pedestrian crossings.

Sutherland: Sir Bertram Stevens Drive, Royal National Park – Development funding to investigate mitigations of road safety issues at this location and widening existing shoulder.

Gosford: Central Coast Highway at York St, Wells St and Webb St, East Gosford – Closing access at the intersection to reduce conflict points at these intersections, where road users

will be redirected to safer crossing locations and installing wombat crossings.

Mallanganee: Bruxner Highway – Install safety barrier and delineation (signs and lines).

Umgar: Summerland Way – Widen existing shoulder and safety barrier.

Cedar Point: Summerland Way – Install safety barrier, improve existing intersection configuration and install delineation (signs and lines).

Hamilton South: Glebe Rd to King St – Development funding to investigate mitigations of road safety issues along this length.

Long Flat: Oxley Highway – Widen existing shoulder, installing new safety barrier (including motorcycle underrun barrier) and delineation (signs and lines).

Cassilis: Golden Highway at Uarbri Rd – Widen existing shoulder, installing new safety barrier, improve curve realignment and delineation (signs and lines).

Muswellbrook to Willow Tree: New England Highway – Development funding to investigate

mitigations of road safety issues along this length of road.

Singleton to Urabry: Golden Highway – Development funding to investigate mitigations of road safety issues along this length.

Coopers Gully: Snowy Mountains Highway, west of Princes Highway – Widen existing shoulder and delineation (signs and lines).

Coopers Gully: Snowy Mountains Highway 500m east of Coopers Gully Rd – Install wide centre-line, widen shoulder and install safety barrier.

Kyeamba: Hume Highway – Install vehicle activated signs and install safety barrier.

Bungendore: Kings Highway - Widen existing shoulder and install median barrier.

Shellharbour: Lake Entrance Rd, at Wattle Rd and Madigan Blvd - Development funding to investigate mitigations of road safety issues at this location to install raised safety platforms.

Figtree: M1 Motorway from Mt Keira Rd to Masters Rd - Install safety barrier.

Cataract: Picton Rd at Cordeaux Dam Rd - Widen existing shoulder and install safety barrier.

Binalong: Stephens St - Install safety barrier and intersection upgrades.

Other upgrades are planned for Oyster Cove, Forbes, Fernbrook and Nimmitabel.

MORE NEWS

Federal election 2022: Christians push for religious discrimination bill to pass

Oatlands: Samuel William Davidson appeals sentence for killing Abdallah, Sakr children