Three major corridor strategies and implementation plans will set out the current and future priorities for upgrading this important highway:
The Cooee to Wynyard Upgrade Program and Wynyard to Marrawah Strategy and Implementation Plan have been developed, and works have started under these plans.
The Launceston to Devonport Strategy is underway. Consultation on the plan was held in mid-2021. The outcomes of this process are being used along with already identified projects from Cooee to Marrawah, to create a program for future upgrades across the whole Bass Highway corridor from Launceston to Marrawah.
The Bass Highway is an integral part of the State road network. It is the most important link for the community, industry and tourism linking the north west with the rest of Tasmania and the world.
The highway facilitates movement of people and goods to the key ports at Devonport and Burnie. It provides access from the north and north west to the central and western regions of Tasmania and connects with the Midland Highway, allowing access for road users including freight services to the east coast and southern region.
Three major corridor strategies and related upgrade programs are underway to identify safety and efficiency upgrades to accommodate current and future demand on this key highway.
Our community and stakeholders are important to help us understand how the road sections of the Bass Highway are currently being used and what issues are experienced.
We will consult with the community and stakeholders on individual junction upgrade, overtaking lanes and road realignments projects when detailed designs are developed, before the projects are delivered.
Upgrades across the Bass Highway will improve productivity and efficiency on this key freight network, providing better connections between agricultural regions, ports, airports and other transport hubs.
Upgrade works across the Bass Highway aim to:
· Increase safety for all users
· Improve travel time reliability
· Enhance road conditions and create consistency
· Support growth surrounding the corridor
We have been progressively preparing corridor strategies for State roads across Tasmania to create consistency in how the State Road Network is planned and managed.
Corridor strategies make planning and investment decisions transparent to the community, councils and other key stakeholders.
By reviewing a variety of issues the corridor strategy identifies:
The process for developing a corridor strategy is shown below:
