Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack has called for a safer Princes Highway to be fast-tracked.
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Mr McCormack toured the highway on Tuesday, December 18, at the invitation of the South Coast Register’s Fix It Now campaign, stopping at crash scenes, including the site where the Falkholt family was killed on Boxing Day last year.
“What I saw was a road which by yesteryear standards is a pretty good road,” he said.
“But the fact is, the road is being used a lot more now than it ever has been in the past.”
While Mr McCormack could not be drawn on a funding commitment for the highway, he said the upgrade was a priority for the federal government.
“The end is in sight on the Pacific Highway and then the focus will come onto the Princes Highway,” he said.
“We need to now look at what we can do to fast track the Princes Highway.”
Fix It Now has been campaigning for a divided dual carriageway between Nowra and the Victorian border. Mr McCormack agreed bipartisanship was necessary for a safer highway.
“I will work in conjunction with my state colleagues to see what we can do,” he said.
“We generally fund these projects with an 80-20 funding split.
“If you lose a loved one you don’t want to see politicians playing politics, you don’t care where the funding comes from, you just want the roads built.”