Flexible wire rope barriers between Bathurst and Orange in the New South Wales central west are preventing potential crashes.
Work on the $95.9 million safety upgrades of the 50-kilometre section of the highway started in 2018.
So far, it has included work at East Lucknow (completed in July 2018), Oakey Creek Lane (October 2019), Guyong (September 2022), Vittoria East and East Guyong (December 2023), and Vittoria Curve (May 2024).
Flexible wire rope placed along the road’s centreline provides a physical barrier between oncoming traffic travelling at up to 100 km/h in each direction.
“Since the installation of the flexible wire barriers in 2018 there have been more than 50 recorded wire strikes where vehicles have hit the rope running down the centre or along the edges of the highway, said Federal Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Carol Brown.
“Each of these wire strikes means a vehicle may have otherwise crossed to the wrong side of the highway, avoiding a potential tragedy if a vehicle happened to be passing in the opposite direction.
“These are stark figures that illustrate just how important it is to invest in improved safety on regional roads, helping to ensure motorists get home safely to their families every time.”