The Tasmanian government has announced a 1.25km extension of the shared path on Illawarra Road but it will stop short of Longford, leaving people to navigate a narrow bridge crossing alongside traffic travelling at 100km/h.
The government’s Illawarra Road upgrades have focused on improving traffic flow for heavy vehicles, however there has been a push for the project to also deliver for people walking and riding.
The first stage of the upgrades between the Longford roundabout and Bishopsbourne Road provided a pull-in for trucks and a central median barrier.
Design for a third stage between Pateena Road and the bridge over the South Esk River is now open for consultation. This includes extension of the shared path from Perth, bridge strengthening and roundabout resurfacing and upgraded retaining walls.
Frustratingly, the path extension will stop short of Longford where the shoulder disappears over the South Esk bridge and then heads into the fast-moving roundabout with no safe provision for bike riding.
Illawarra Road has long been part of the area’s popular recreational cycling routes but the increase in heavy vehicles using the road is making it more uncomfortable for road riding.
State Roads built a shared path between Perth and Pateena Road as part of the highway bypass project in 2020 and it has shown the potential of linking the two towns, which are less than 7km apart.
The problem is that the project scope didn’t focus on people walking and riding despite the clear opportunities to improve infrastructure for them.
Instead of incorporating a shared path as part of the bridge strengthening works and roundabout upgrade, there is just a dotted line on the map showing where a path could go if “someone” was to build another bridge over the South Esk.
Let the government know what a lost opportunity this is for the region via email at illawarraroadupgrade@stategrowth.tas.gov.au before the consultation ends on 16 December.
More information about the upgrades is at https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/roadworks/current_projects/northern_road_projects/illawarra_road_upgrade
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