Funds for road safety improvements for the Sunshine Motorway between Mooloolaba and Peregian allocated in the State Government budget have now been brought forward so that work can get underway urgently, Member for Maroochydore Fiona Simpson said today.
Transport Minister Scott Emerson allocated new funds of $510,000 for this project in this year’s budget under the Safer Roads Sooner Program. The delivery timeframe for installation has now been fast-tracked to allow works to be undertaken this year.
Member for Maroochydore Fiona Simpson has campaigned for the two-lane undivided sections of the Sunshine Motorway at Mountain Creek and between Marcoola and Coolum to receive urgent safety treatments following a number of serious head-on crashes.
The extent of the works will include a one metre wide painted chevron centre median to provide greater separation between the travel lanes. This is an effective measure which has been proven to help address head-on crashes.
Ms Simpson said that driver fatigue or inattention have been major contributing factors in this high-crash zone.
“The audio tactile line marking between Marcoola and Coolum will alert drivers if they drift outside their lane and will help save lives,” Ms Simpson said.
“The speed limit on the motorway at Mountain Creek will also be reduced from 100km/h to 90km/h on the approach to the Karawatha Drive interchange.”
“I’m pleased that the new Transport Minister has listened to my request for immediate action on road safety in this area,” Ms Simpson said.
“Ultimately the answer will be a major road duplication but in the meantime these simple safety measures will dramatically improve driver compliance and road safety,” Ms Simpson said.
Works commenced on Sunday 18 November and will take about two weeks to complete, weather permitting.
To minimise disruptions to motorists, work will be carried out between 8pm and 4am. Up to date information on traffic disruptions will be available from the 13 19 40 traffic report line or by visiting www.222.131940.qld.gov.au.
