An elected Labor Government will address the serious road safety issues on the Bass Highway at Wynyard by nominating it for funding under the Black Spot Program.
Today I inspected this particularly dangerous section of road with Labor candidate for Braddon, Justine Keay.
No section of the Bass Highway west of Burnie is listed in any Federal or State road programs up to the 2017/18 year.
This is despite a significant increase in both freight and tourist traffic.
The highway carries more than one million tonnes of freight annually, which will increase by a further 50 per cent over the next five years.
With more than three thousand vehicles using this section of the highway daily, and five intersections, funding is urgently required to ensure the safety of everyone who uses the road.
Labor Candidate for Braddon, Justine Keay, has been working closely with the local community to support an application by the RACT for the highway to receive black spot funding.
Labor will continue to work with locals to identify areas most in need of investment so that tourists, truck drivers and commuters alike can reach their destination safely.
When in Government, Federal Labor invested an unprecedented $1.9 billion in the Tasmania’s road and rail infrastructure and doubled annual infrastructure spending from $146 to $270 per Tasmanian.
In contrast, the Abbott-Turnbull Government have not announced any funding for new road or rail projects in Tasmania and have cut the Midland Highway, as well as freight rail and the NBN.