A 4.5km stretch of the Zeehan Highway will be upgraded over the next 15 months to accommodate heavy vehicle traffic.
The $44 million project to upgrade the West Coast highway from its junction with the Murchison Highway to Henty Road is jointly funded by the Commonwealth to the tune of $35 million and $9 million from the Tasmanian government.
The first stage of the project, which is worth $10.6 million, has been awarded to Shaw Contracting and is expected to be completed in May 2025.
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Michael Ferguson said Shaw will widen lanes to three metres, add a one metre shoulder and a 50 centimetre gravel verge.
“A future stage will continue the upgrade north along the Murchison Highway between the Argent River and Ring River,” he said.
“These future upgrades between Rosebery and Zeehan will increase freight efficiency and reduce travel times, improving inter-regional connections to and from northern export ports in Tasmania, making the highways safer, and supporting tourism in the area.”
Trucks make up about 18% of the traffic on the Zeehan Highway, which sees over 1,000 vehicles per day.
“The works will widen curves, seal road shoulders and provide gravel verges, together with more formal overtaking opportunities and strategically located pull-off and load checking sites for heavy vehicle users.”
