Next year a $1.75 million upgrade for a rest area is set to benefit truckies and other road users between Walgett and Brewarrina in north-west New South Wales.
The upgrade to the Yambie Lagoon Rest Area, about 60 kilometres east of Brewarrina on the Kamilaroi Highway will encourage rest breaks for heavy vehicle drivers on long trips.
Currently there are no toilet or rest facilities for more than 120 kilometres, or 75 minutes of travel time in this remote location, so the Australian and NSW governments are working together to improve the quality and quantity of rest stops.
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Minister for Transport, Carol Brown says, the project is jointly funded by the Australian Government, under the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, and the NSW Government.
“Driver fatigue is one of the top three factors leading to fatal crashes on NSW roads, contributing to at least 21 per cent of heavy vehicle fatal crashes in regional NSW in the five years since December 2019,” he says.
NSW minister for regional transport, Jenny Aitchison says this essential upgrade will transform the rest area, by building toilet and shelter facilities, picnic tables and extended parking for heavy and light vehicles.
“Rural freight routes such as the Kamilaroi Highway through this region are essential for the movement of produce, livestock and other goods, and we respect that these corridors are the workplace of heavy vehicle drivers,” she says.
State Labor MLC Stephen Lawrence says, this project will be providing similar facilities on the westbound shoulder of the highway, ensuring there are facilities for traffic in both directions.
“By providing opportunities for drivers to stop and have a break we are working towards reducing fatigue-related crashes on our road network in the far west region,” he says.
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