Motorists will benefit from the completed $9.6 million worth of safety and traffic upgrades on the New England Highway north of Armidale, about nine kilometres from the city.
The southbound overtaking lanes have been extended by about 350 metres, the highway widened to provide two 3.5-metre travel lanes, wide centres were installed to increase the distance between oncoming vehicles, and the northbound and southbound road shoulders have been widened to 3.5 metres.
Drainage was extended and improved, with additional drainage layers incorporated into lane extensions; the existing road was repaired, strengthened, repaired and resealed, with new line markings, raised road markers and roadside safety barriers installed.
“Too many lives are still being lost on our roads, particularly in regional areas,” minister for transport Catherine King says.
“That is why initiatives like the Road Safety Program are so important, as they seek to improve the network by minimising the occurrence of severe injuries and fatalities, with a focus on vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists.
“This completed work on the New England Highway will reduce the risk of off-road and head on collisions.”
A bridge culvert was widened north of O’Connells Road; a box culvert near Blanch Road was extended, a concrete kerb and gutter was added along the southbound lane, and maintenance was carried out on roadside signage.
Work to upgrade the highway’s intersection with Puddledock Road was impacted by extreme weather events in March, leaving the then-unsealed surface exposed to the elements and a substantial increase in vehicle movements, particularly heavy vehicles, that had been diverted from the Pacific Highway.
NSW Government spokesperson Peter Primrose says many people would have seen the poor state of the New England Highway during the severe weather that occurred earlier this year.
“It is a credit to the engineers and the road workers they got this work completed so quickly after that event,” he says.
“The 4000 motorists, including 650 heavy vehicle operators, who use this route daily are now safer as a result.”
The work is now complete, and a separate right turn lane has been installed to provide for safer and more efficient traffic movements into Puddledock Road.
The road is open to traffic, but motorists are advised a final seal will be applied in a few months, to ensure long-term durability and performance.
This delay allows the new pavement to settle and any minor defects to emerge, providing a stronger bond between layers and ensuring a smoother, longer-lasting surface.