Latest news with #roadupgrades
ABC News
7 days ago
- Automotive
- ABC News
Tumbarumba locals call for urgent repairs to fix 'unsafe' roads
The NSW government has released a new interactive map identifying the most unsafe roads across the state, but it is not telling Tumbarumba residents anything they did not already know. All four roads leading to and from the town, 110 kilometres south-east of Wagga Wagga, were given a rating of one out of five stars. That means the Snowy Mountains Highway, Batlow Road, Tumbarumba Road and Jingellic Road were among the least safe in the state. Tumbarumba Chamber of Commerce chair Maria Anderson said she was not particularly surprised by the poor ratings. "Some of the roads have probably never been properly upgraded or widened, and when we have so many trucks … there's not much room for error," she said. Ms Anderson said the roads were important for access to essential services and employment. "The Wagga road in particular is critical, it's probably our main thoroughfare," she said. Ms Anderson has been campaigning for years for improvements to the local road network and said she was especially concerned about a 10km stretch adjoining the Hume Highway. "It's a horrendous stretch of road and it's shared by a large variety of people, including B-double log trucks, ambulances, school buses and the general public," she said. New South Wales is the first jurisdiction to map its state and regional road network to show safety star ratings under the Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP). Roads are rated from one to five stars, with five being the safest, based on road characteristics, traffic volumes and safety infrastructure. The map has given many state roads in southern NSW a rating of one, particularly those in the Snowy Valleys, a region where 13 people have died on the roads since 2019. In one of these incidents, on the Tumbarumba Road, a driver was killed in a fiery two-truck crash in 2023. The Snowy Valleys Council director of infrastructure and works Duncan Mitchell said the Tumbarumba Road was due for "urgent" repairs that must be prioritised in the "next 12 months". He agreed with the NSW government report that the Batlow, Jingellic and Tooma Roads leading out of Tumbarumba were also in need of repair. "It would be great to see funding put into [those roads] … in the next one to two years." Mr Mitchell said the region's challenging topography made road maintenance difficult and expensive. Minister for Roads Jenny Aitchison said the new interactive map would be the government's blueprint for prioritising future upgrades. "The purpose of the map is to really establish transparently … which road do we need to invest in to get them up to a standard that means we will reach our target," she said. Transport for NSW announced $500,000 in funding for its latest round of the Community Road Safety Grants Program. Not-for-profit and charity organisations can apply for grants of up to $30,000 to fund local road safety initiatives. Ms Aitchison said the government wanted 80 per cent of road travel in NSW to be on roads that were rated at least three stars. She said that figure was currently at 71 per cent. Australian Road Safety Foundation chair Russell White said he feared the road toll would increase in NSW, if there was not an increase in government funding. Mr White said road conditions were a "major contributor" to fatalities. So far this year, 214 people have died on the state's roads, compared to 187 this time last year. Meanwhile, 74 people were seriously injured in the Snowy Valleys LGA between 2019 and 2023, and 95 suffered moderate injuries. Ms Aitchison said she recognised the state of some roads in the Snowy Valleys was concerning, but that the map had put "the transparency back into road funding". "So we are able to show that we actually can make a difference here."
CBC
30-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Manor Park residents say ‘no' to city's new sidewalk plans
Some neighbours in Ottawa's Manor Park community are in concrete disagreement with the city's new plan for road upgrades. They've put up signs on their lawns, hoping Ottawa will backtrack on one key aspect of the project: sidewalks.
BBC News
13-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Hope Newark A46 upgrades will fix 'bottleneck bypass'
Major upgrades to the A46 in Newark have been discussed for years – and this week they got one step closer to Mandy Brunning, the project to dual the A46 between Farndon and Winthorpe will make a "huge difference".She works at Polly's Kitchen in the town and said she has stopped driving to work in favour of the bus because of gridlock traffic in and out of the Nottinghamshire town."There are traffic jams every day, it's horrendous. Most days it is a nightmare to get in and out of Newark," she said. The government confirmed this week it would fund upgrades to the road as part of a £92bn project to fund transport schemes across the for the A46 project have soared in recent years – the £500m originally earmarked for the project rose to £686.4m last Highways said about 16,000 vehicles pass along the section of the A46 each project also includes a new flyover at the Cattle Market junction, a new bridge over the A1 and the widening of roundabouts at Farndon and Winthorpe. Labour's Nottingham South MP and transport minister Lilian Greenwood said the government would fund the entire project."We're committed to funding the project and we recognise that the cost of lots of projects announced a long time ago have gone up," she said."Clearly it's an expensive project but it is something that we know is much needed."People can have confidence that they are going to see this road improved." Mandy questioned whether the plans might be too little, too late for said: "There are an awful lot of businesses closing and a lot of people are shopping out of town because it's easier to go to a retail park."A lot of the businesses have already gone, so my concern is that it's too late to preserve Newark."The scheme doesn't yet have planning permission, which Newark East county councillor Sam Smith, leader of the Conservative group on Nottinghamshire County Council, said was a added: "It's absolutely fantastic news and something we've been fighting for. "We should have had shovels in the ground last year but it will be great for Newark."I'm slightly concerned about the planning aspect of it. "Councillors need to come together and do it for the residents to make life here better." 'Peace of mind' Paul Smith, chair of Winthorpe with Langford Parish Council, said the news was positive for the area but raised concerns about the construction was formerly part of the 'Think Again' campaign in the village."We are a cul-de-sac village so anything that impacts our access is going to impact us and we are concerned about that," he said."Our biggest concern is around what the impacts of construction will be around businesses, schools and people getting in and out of Winthorpe."We are in support of it but we want the minimum amount of impact on our community."If it does go ahead then we're in for three and a half years of hardship."
Auto Express
08-07-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Express
Five major roads are getting a £92billion revamp. Are any near you?
The Government has announced today that 50 road and rail upgrades will be made over the next five years, thanks to a £92 billion investment from the Spending Review settlement. According to the Government, 42,000 jobs will be supported during the upgrading process, along with the construction of 39,000 homes. The five key road improvements are set to include the M60/M62/M66 in Greater Manchester, the M54 to M6 link road in Staffordshire, the A38 Derby Junction in Derbyshire, the A46 Newark Bypass in Nottinghamshire, and the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine road. Advertisement - Article continues below Speaking on the Government's infrastructure plans, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: 'With over £92 billion of investment, including the biggest ever boost for city regions in the north and Midlands, we're delivering the schemes that fast-track economic growth and jobs, connect communities, and will help us build 1.5 million new homes, as we deliver our Plan for Change.' The specific changes to the M60, M62 and M66 Simister Island section will be based on improving the intersection between the M60's junction 18 and the M62 and M66 – although this is still subject to planning approval. The link road between the M54 and M6 will see a new dual carriageway between M54 junction 1 and the M6 junction 11, which is expected to cost up to £200m. As for major A-road changes, the A46 Newark Bypass will see four miles of A46 single carriageway replaced by a dual carriageway between the Farndon and Winthorpe roundabouts – again, subject to planning approval. The £250m A38 Derby Junction will get three roundabouts replaced with interchanges, and the A66 Northern Trans-Pennine road is expected to cost £1.3bn and will get a single carriageway uprated to a dual between the M6 junction 40 and the A1(M) junction 53 - plus improvements to junctions at Penrith and Scotch Corner. Those hoping for improvements to the A12 (Chelmsford to A120) and the A47 (Wansford to Sutton) will surely be upset to hear these planned 'Strategic Road Network' schemes have been cancelled. Earlier this year, the Government pledged £24 billion (or roughly £8 billion per year) for fixing and maintaining the UK's major roads. Tell us which new car you're interested in and get the very best offers from our network of over 5,500 UK dealers to compare. Let's go… Find a car with the experts Car Deal of the Day: 10k miles a year in Cupra's Terramar for under £300 a month Car Deal of the Day: 10k miles a year in Cupra's Terramar for under £300 a month The Cupra Terramar is an appealing family SUV that looks stylish but offers plenty of practicality. It's our Deal of the Day for July 5 New Volvo XC60 2025 facelift review: big-selling SUV gets a new lease of life New Volvo XC60 2025 facelift review: big-selling SUV gets a new lease of life This refreshed Swedish SUV focuses on familiar areas of strength to take on BMW and Audi Car Deal of the Day: MG ZS gives a big SUV feel for a miniscule £194 a month Car Deal of the Day: MG ZS gives a big SUV feel for a miniscule £194 a month The MG ZS is an easy car to like and live with. It's our Deal of the Day for 3 July
Khaleej Times
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: Meydan Road upgrades slash traffic by 50% during peak hours
A series of road upgrades has improved connectivity between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road through Al Meydan Street, reducing vehicle queue lengths during peak hours by 50 percent. The work by Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) also improved traffic flow and reduced travel times by 40 percent during the morning and evening rush hours. In November 2024, RTA had introduced the Al Safa South toll gate in the area to further decrease traffic here. The construction work included widening the exit from Sheikh Zayed Road to Al Meydan Street and increasing the capacity of the bridge over First Al Khail Road to accommodate vehicles travelling between Al Khail Road, Al Meydan Street, Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Hadiqa Street in both directions. Additionally, RTA also expanded the connecting ramps between the surface road and the bridge over First Al Khail Road, improving access for vehicles heading towards Al Khail Road and Al Meydan Street. Double capacity The project saw the widening of exit no. D69 from one lane to two for vehicles travelling from Sheikh Zayed Road towards Al Khail Road and Al Meydan Street. This doubled the exit's capacity from 1,500 to 3,000 vehicles per hour, thereby cutting traffic in the area. As part of broader efforts to enhance traffic flow and improve the efficiency of Dubai's road network, RTA also increased the capacity of the bridge over First Al Khail Street from three to four lanes in both directions, benefiting vehicles travelling between Al Khail Road, Sheikh Zayed Road, and Al Hadiqa Street. This raised the bridge's capacity by over 33 percent from 4,500 to 6,000 vehicles per hour, and reduced peak-hour crossing times from seven minutes to four, an improvement of approximately 40 percent. Furthermore, RTA widened the connecting ramps between the surface road and the bridge over First Al Khail Road from one lane to two, which improved traffic flow by reducing congestion and waiting times by more than 50 percent, particularly during midday and evening peak hours. The enhancement played a key role in facilitating smoother vehicle movement between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road in both directions. These enhancements reflect RTA's continued efforts to proactively respond to the emirate's rapid urban and population growth. Through ongoing infrastructure development and road network optimisation, RTA aims to meet evolving mobility needs and support future expansion. Last week the authority unveiled a series of projects in Business Bay that eased congestion and improved the street's capacity by 100 percent. As part of its master plan, RTA aims to deliver more than 75 traffic improvement projects across key areas of the emirate in 2025.
