Four million in funding is en route for road safety upgrades along the Mitchell Highway between Nyngan and Bourke to help reduce road trauma and save lives.
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The funding is being jointly invested by the federal and NSW governments for road safety upgrades which will include the widening of the shoulder along the Mitchell Highway from Nyngan to Bourke.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said work is expected to start immediately and be completed by June to get people home sooner and safer.
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"As someone who proudly lives, works and has raised a family in regional NSW, I know just how important safe, efficient road connections are to local communities," Mr McCormack said.
As part of the investment to improve road safety, 261 projects would be delivered across NSW, with 150 of these on regional roads.
Safety upgrades on projects include shoulder sealing, rumble strips to alert drivers when they are moving out of their lane, median upgrades to prevent head-on collisions and barriers to prevent run-off-road crashes and protect against roadside hazards.
Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton said this was an example of the Australian and NSW governments working together to deliver life-saving road upgrades.
"We are committed to improving our roads to keep the road toll down as low as possible," Mr Coulton said.
"I am so pleased that this $4 million investment will see the shoulder widened along the Mitchell Highway from Nyngan to Bourke, which will make the road much safer for all road users."
Mr Coulton said the investment wouldn't just save lives, but provide a boost to local economies, with the projects expected to support more than 2500 direct and indirect jobs.
"Boosting local infrastructure also means boosting jobs and, here in the Parkes electorate, that ensures our local economy can continue to recover from COVID-19."
The Australian Government's funding for the Road Safety Program is subject to 'use it or lose it' provisions and will deliver life-saving treatments on regional roads and to protect vulnerable road users across NSW, while also supporting local jobs and providing a welcome boost to local economies.
The 'use it or lose it' provisions require states and territories to use their notionally allocated funds within a timeframe, or the funds can be reallocated to projects in other jurisdictions.
In total, the Australian government has committed up to $300 million and the NSW government a further $108.2 million to fund the state-wide upgrades under tranche one.