Work to finish a 10-year upgrade of the Midland Highway is nearing completion with the return of 110km/h speed limits between Conara and Epping Forest.
The recent upgrade of this 40km section means 65% of the highway between Launceston and Hobart now has either three or four lanes.
Infrastructure Minister Michael Ferguson said the upgraded highway, part of a $605 million project, is now safer and more efficient.
“What we’ve been able to achieve is a significant improvement to the safety of all road users, whether light vehicles or heavy vehicles,” he said.
“We’ve had widened shoulders, widened corridors, we’ve duplicated numerous sections, provided multiple overtaking opportunities, major junction upgrades and vitally, we’ve gone with that median barrier between opposing traffic.”
He said these changes, along with the AusRAP three-star safety rating, will “virtually eliminate the chance of head-on collisions” on the road.
“Of course, you never completely avoid safety problems. We encourage people to drive to the conditions,” he said.
Federal Labor MP Brian Mitchell said work on the final stage of what has been a lengthy project was now underway.
“We’ve got 10 kilometres to go and that’s that long, straight stretch between Campbell Town and Conara,” he said.
“That is the last remaining significant stretch where, of course, there is still the chance for head-on collisions, which we want to see eliminated as part of the upgrades.”
“We are looking forward to that work going ahead over the next year.”
