A ‘dangerous’ intersection on Hobart’s busy Brooker Highway is urgently in need of an upgrade to prevent potential fatalities, according to former mayor Bec Thomas.
The intersection, linking Foreshore Road and Duncan Street, provides access to a high school and foreshore park, but forces drivers to navigate across two lanes of 80km/h traffic.
“Hundreds of cars precariously cross in and out of this intersection to access Montrose Bay High School and the Montrose Bay foreshore park and walkway every day,” Thomas said.
“This presents significant road safety concerns, not just for locals, but for all users of that busy section of the Brooker Highway.”
Now an MLC, Thomas quizzed Liberal MLC Leonie Hiscutt on the status of the upgrades first proposed over a decade ago in Parliament on Monday.
Hiscutt confirmed that upgrades are planned, with funding being sought from the Australian Government’s National Road Safety program.
“The project is shovel ready. The project design is now being finalised and is expected to be tended in early 2025,” she said.
“The project is complex, incorporating a number of critical utility services and is located on one of the busiest road corridors in Hobart.”
However, Thomas expressed concern over the delay in securing funding, pointing out that the intersection was identified as a priority 13 years ago.
“It’s high time the government got on with this project before someone is seriously injured or killed,” she said.
Hiscutt indicated that work is anticipated to begin in mid-2025, with alternative funding sources being explored should the federal government application prove unsuccessful.
“If the national government does not provide funding for the project under the National Road Safety program, the Department of State Growth will assess opportunities for progressing the project using other available funding sources, while also considering overall project priorities across the state road network,” she said.
