Planning work will begin this year on a heavy vehicle bypass of Launceston in Tasmania
June 7, 2013
Planning work will begin this year on a heavy vehicle bypass of Launceston in Tasmania.
The Federal Government has provided $2 million for work to identify a preferred route and establish accurate costings and a construction timetable.
Local MP Geoff Lyons says there has been a 43 percent increase in the number of trucks driving through Launceston’s CBD in the past decade, particularly along Wellington and Bathurst streets.
“This will get trucks off our local streets and make it safer for everyone who uses our roads,” he says.
The planning money for the bypass is part of the Federal Government’s $500 million, 10-year Midland Highway Package, which also includes the duplication of the Perth to Breadalbane section, planning and initial construction on the Bridgewater Bridge as well as safety upgrades at Mona Vale, St Peters Pass and between Mangalore and Bagdad.
“This new piece of infrastructure has the potential to be a game changer for Launceston, taking hundreds of trucks a day of the City’s local streets and making it an even better place to live, work and raise a family,” federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese says.
