Council Successful In Black Spot Funding Bid

Two Gympie region roads will be made safer thanks to a $775,000 upgrade funded by the Federal Government’s Black Spot Program.

Gympie Regional Council has been successful in its funding submission to improve the safety of Cedar Pocket Road and Gap Road. These rural arterial roads carry on average 350-400 vehicles per day and it is a popular tourist route for motorcycles.

Within the past five years, these roads have experienced one fatal and six casualty crashes, with six of these seven crashes involving motorcycles.

The funded works will include improved line marking, road surfacing and drainage, road curvature realignment and widening, increased sight lines and roadside clear zones, and the installation of safety barriers at locations where immovable roadside objects or steep side slopes exist.

Director of Gympie Regional Council’s Infrastructure, Services Dimitri Scordalides, commended the Federal Government for its continued support for the Black Spot Program which provided $750,000 in 2018 for the Cogan Street and Station Road roundabout. “The Black Spot Program is geared towards reducing the amount of crashes on roads which have statistically high motor vehicle accidents.”

Work on this project is due to commence early 2021 with the project due for completion by mid-2021.