Infrastructure Tasmania

Tasmanian Government to improve the West Tamar Highway

Eliza Sayon Jul 26, 2021

2 min read

The Tasmanian Government intends to create better and safer roads around the state with its four priority upgrades to improve the West Tamar Highway, north of Legana.

These road works are the first stage of a series of projects that will improve the safety and efficiency of the West Tamar Highway.

Aside from this, the upgrades will also benefit the lives of the communities placed along the highway by making it safer and improving travel time reliability to and from Launceston.

With the upgrades, the Tasmanian Government plans to widen the highway between McEwans Road and Waldhorn Drive, improve sight lines at the Motor Road junction and improve intersection areas. The state government will also widen the road shoulder and install a concrete footpath between Rosevears Drive and Gravelly Beach Road.

These three projects are expected to be completed this month while the fourth and final project under this contract is currently underway. The provision of overtaking lanes between Exeter and the Batman Highway intersection will be completed once warmer weather returns to complete the surfacing.

The four projects are part of the Tasmanian Government’s $12.5 million six-point plan to improve the highway north of Legana. Improvements near Lightwood Hills Road intersections and $1.5 million in cycling improvements have already been completed prior to the current projects.

The Tasmanian Government has committed to invest $84 million in upgrades to the East and West Tamar Highways, building on the Australian Government’s commitment of $16 million to the West Tamar Highway.

These projects will deliver a $100 million package of targeted upgrades to both sides of the Tamar, including lane separation, junction upgrades and overtaking lanes, and integrating with the new Tamar River Bridge.

Plans for the upgrades to the West Tamar Highway are now out for public comment. Community feedback is currently being sought by the Tasmanian Government on proposed upgrades to the highway between the Launceston CBD and Legana.

Eliza Sayon

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Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.