Work has started on safety improvements on the Princes Highway at Jerrawangala, the site of more than 20 crashes in the past six years.
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The NSW Government has made $800,000 available for the works, which are part of a multi-million package of safety improvements being made up and down the length of the Princes Highway.
Work will include a road upgrade to a high friction surface for one kilometre to improve safety in wet weather, a widened centreline, and the installation of new safety barriers.
The Princes Highway at Jerrawangala has a poor crash history, particularly in wet weather with 21 crashes recorded in the area between July 2012 and February 2018 - 19 of those are in wet weather conditions.
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South Coast MP Shelley Hancock said the important safety upgrade would provide a safer road surface and new safety barriers to reduce the risk of run off road crashes.
“Tragically, over the period from December 2017 to June 2018 eight lives were lost on the Princes Highway,” Mrs Hancock said.
“Nobody wanted to see more lives lost, so the community and I lobbied hard to see safety improved along notorious sections of the highway.”
Already at Bendalong, the site of the Falkholt crash, immediate safety improvements have been installed and are now complete, reducing the likelihood of a severe accident.
“The works underway at Jerrawangala will also make one more section of the highway safer as we continue to work towards securing a funding agreement with the federal government and the duplication of the highway to the Victorian border,” Mrs Hancock said.
Work will take place from 7am to 5pm on weekdays until Wednesday, December 19.
There will be no work during the Christmas and New Year holidays, with work restarting on Monday, January 14 and is scheduled to take three weeks to complete, weather permitting.
For the safety of workers and motorists, temporary lane closures and a reduced speed limit of 40 km/h will be in place during work hours.
A reduced speed of 60 km/h will be in place outside of working hours as required.
Motorists are advised to allow additional travel time and follow the direction of signs and traffic control.