Hattah-Robinvale Rd, Calder Highway intersection truck rollover
It’s the new roundabout, in the middle of a rural stretch of a key highway, that’s had three truck rollovers in less than a year. Find out what the road authority has to say.
Mildura
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A truck rollover at a Calder Highway intersection was the third such incident since a new roundabout was installed less than 12 months ago.
The latest tip on Wednesday led to police directing traffic at the Hattah-Robinvale Rd intersection, about 65km south of Mildura.
It followed truck rollovers that were reported in March and April.
Works to install the roundabout, costing $3.2 million, finished late October last year.
Regional Roads Victoria data found there had been no crashes resulting in serious injury at the intersection between then and September 30.
A witness said the driver in Wednesday’s incident was “doing okay”.
Regional Roads Victoria regional director (western) Michael Bailey said the incident was being looked at.
Monitoring of the area will decide if further safety steps are needed.
“We urge all drivers to travel through this intersection at a safe speed and to ensure that they’re aware of the changed configuration of the intersection,” Mr Bailey said.
“We’re working with Victoria Police to better understand the causes behind (Wednesday’s) truck rollover and will continue to monitor this area to see if any further safety improvements are required.”
Before the change, there was a centre turning lane onto Hattah-Robinvale Rd, allowing northbound and southbound traffic to continue straight without interruption.
This led to reports of near-misses as vehicles travelled at speeds of up to 110km/h.
Safety on the highway in the Hattah area, where motorists also slow to stop at the nearby roadhouse, had long been a concern.
The new works included lowering the speed limit on approach to 80km/h, shoulder widening, installation of new safer LED lighting and improved linemarking.
The project was part of $20 million from the Victorian and Federal governments put towards safety upgrades on the Calder Highway, the main road for travellers between Mildura and Melbourne.
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