Drivers travelling along the Kamilaroi Highway south of Narrabri now have an extra ‘safety net’.
New flexible median barriers to prevent head-on crashes have been installed between Baan Baa and Turrawan as part of the NSW government’s $26.4 million safety upgrade of the highway.
Sam Farraway MLC said flexible safety barriers reduce the severity of head-on crashes by up to 95 per cent, helping save lives on the road.
“This 17-kilometre stretch of highway between Baan Baa and Turrawan recorded 18 crashes between July 2012 and October 2019, with a large proportion of these involving vehicles crossing the centre line of the Kamilaroi Highway,” Mr Farraway said.
“Our aim is to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on country roads by increasing the separation of oncoming vehicles, alerting drivers when they leave a lane and providing a more forgiving environment for road users.“
Other safety measures of the Kamilaroi Highway include an offline school bus turning bay near the Turrawan Road intersection to improve safety for school children and other travellers.
Dual overtaking lanes are planned for completion in June 2022.
Ongoing work on a 2.5 metre wide sealed shoulder will provide more room for vehicles to recover whilst remaining on a sealed surface.
Ongoing work on rumble strips on centre and outside lines will be used to reduce the likelihood of head-on crashes and run-off road crashes.
Widened clear zone on the roadside will help improve visibility and reduce run off road into an object crashes.
Raised retroflective pavement markers will improve delineation.
“In addition to the safety barriers, rumble strips reduce the likelihood of vehicles departing lanes by up to 25 per cent, while wide centrelines decrease the risk of head on crashes by up to 50 per cent,” said Mr Farraway.
Tree removal was also undertaken to improve sight distance for motorists and remove crash hazards near travel lanes.
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