A median safety barrier along Picton Road and fauna exclusion fencing on both sides of the road between westbound rest area and Cordeaux Dam Road will be installed as part of a $6 million funding injection.
The new section of the barrier will link to the median barrier installed on Picton Road east of the location.
This work, funded under the Safer Roads Program, will improve safety at this location by reducing the risk of head-on crashes, providing a barrier between vehicles and roadside hazards as well as providing more room for vehicles to recover.
This follows on from works between Cordeaux Colliery and Cordeaux Dam Road and is not related to the Picton Road upgrade, which is still in the design phase as the review of environmental factors is finalised.
Picton Road is a 37 kilometre transport corridor linking the Illawarra region with Sydney, the South West and Greater Macarthur priority growth areas.
Around 22,000 motorists and 3400 heavy vehicles use Picton Road every day.
Member for Wollondilly, Judy Hannan, has welcomed the latest round of funding.
“Since 2008, as a councillor on Wollondilly I lobbied for funding for Picton Road bifurcation along with my fellow councillors at the time,’’ Ms Hannan said.
“I thank the NSW Government for continuing the work of now three successive governments to continue improvements.
“Funding of $6 million has been allocated to complete this work which includes widening the eastbound lane to allow for a centre barrier to be installed for 1.5 kilometres.
“The latest crash data recorded 10 incidents near or on this section between the eastbound rest area and Cordeaux Dam Road, so this work will go a long way to improving safety for the 22,000 motorists who use the road daily.
“This work will deliver a real benefit for our local community by improving safety for all road users, reducing the risk of crashes and providing more vehicles area to recover.
“I want to thank the community for their patience and understanding while these safety improvements are completed.”
