Tasman Highway Corridor Strategy
We are investigating the Tasman Highway between Sorell and Launceston to plan for future upgrades along the road.
The Department of State Growth is developing a corridor strategy for the Tasman Highway between Sorell and Launceston, which extends along Tasmania’s east coast, and inland from St Helens to Launceston.
Corridor strategies make planning decisions transparent to the community, councils and other stakeholders
The strategy will identify opportunities for improvement to meet the expected future needs of road users and communities along the corridor.
This could include the identification of safety issues, active and public transport opportunities, and investment opportunities.
The community consultation has closed. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on our online map, completed the survey, and viewed the public displays.
There is no funding allocated for the construction of projects that will be identified as part of this corridor strategy. However, the feedback provided will assist the department to prioritise projects and seek funding.
Due to the length of the corridor from Sorell to Launceston, the project team has split the corridor up into three segments to assist the community in providing feedback on the areas they’re interested in.
The segments are:
1. South (Sorell to Orford)
2. Central (Orford to St Helens
3. North (St Helens to Launceston)
Please refer to the map below.
The Department of State Growth is developing a corridor strategy for the Tasman Highway between Sorell and Launceston which extends along Tasmania’s east coast. The strategy will identify opportunities for improvement to meet the expected future needs of road users and communities along the corridor. This may include the identification of safety issues, active and public transport opportunities, and investment opportunities.
Works and upgrades do not form part of this strategy, but the feedback will assist the department to prioritise projects and seek funding.
Corridor strategies make planning and investment decisions transparent to the community, councils and other key stakeholders. By reviewing a variety of issues through public consultation, a corridor strategy identifies a range of different actions and priorities to improve the road corridor.
The strategy process does not involve works or upgrades however the resulting recommendations may assist government in prioritising projects and seeking funding.
The corridor strategy will help us understand how the community, visitors, businesses and road users use the road. This information can help us consider potential upgrades and improvements. As the resulting strategy is supported by research and findings, this helps to ensure that future projects are prioritised to undertake works where they’re needed the most.
The Tasman Highway is a 410 km stretch of state road connecting Hobart to Launceston via the east coast. This project focuses on the section from Sorell to Launceston, which has a length of approximately 390 km and a travel time of over four hours.
The highway is an arterial road and is the main access road for townships including Orford, Triabunna, Swansea, Coles Bay, Bicheno, Scamander and St Helens. As it moves inland, it is the main access road for the townships of Derby and Scottsdale.
The highway has seen traffic increase due to growth in tourism, viticulture, and residential development. To support the growth that is occurring, improvements to existing infrastructure is needed to keep locals and visitors safe and allow for all road users to be able to access the network safely.
Only the section from Sorell to Launceston of the corridor is forming part of this strategy due to the recent upgrades between Hobart and Sorell.
Recent projects along parts of the corridor include the Great Eastern Drive upgrades, Diana’s Basin to St Helens Point Road upgrades, Dorset Roads Package upgrades and the Sideling upgrades. These projects have all had their own opportunities for community feedback.
This strategy will build on these recent projects as well as previous and ongoing engagement with stakeholders from these projects. The engagement for this corridor strategy invited stakeholders to make further submissions to strengthen ideas for improvement along the corridor and looks at a larger area than the specific localities where works have previously occurred.
There has been no funding allocated to date to undertake works or upgrades along this road corridor. The resulting strategy will result in recommendations that can be prioritised. These recommendations may then be relied upon to seek funding and to implement projects along the corridor.
No construction work is currently planned or underway as part of the development of the planning study. Works and upgrades do not form part of this strategy, but the feedback will assist the department to prioritise projects and seek funding.
The strategy will consider issues around public and active transport and look at how we can improve safety and efficiency for those users of the corridor.
If you have any questions, please contact Connie Steers, Stakeholder Engagement Consultant or Christa Capel, Stakeholder Engagement Consultant (03) 6165 0443 or at sorelltolaunceston@stategrowth.tas.gov.au
If you have any questions or require further information, please contact Connie Steers, Stakeholder Engagement Consultant, or Christa Capel, Stakeholder Engagement Consultant, on (03) 6165 0443 or at sorelltolaunceston@stategrowth.tas.gov.au