Newell Highway roughness a focus of ARRB research

The Newell Highway is the subject of new research showing smoothing the road surface could make a substantial positive change.

Smoothing the “rough” surfaces that make up about 30 per cent of the Newell could significantly reduce crashes and be a potential lifesaver, new research shows.

The Australian Road Research Board (ARRB) has analysed a number of major corridors, including the Newell, the Pacific, the New England and the Hume highways.

From its research, the ARRB has found the Newell was the “obvious place to start improving road roughness”.

Treating those sections of the major freight corridor, which links Queensland and Victoria via Dubbo, could drive down crashes by as much as 43 per cent on them, according to the analysis.

ARRB chief executive, Michael Caltabiano, said the figures showed there was a really clear relationship between the roughness of the road and the safety outcomes that could be achieved if the roughness was fixed.

“Treating the rough sections of the Newell road surface would reduce crashes on those sections by as much as 43 percent,” he said.

Read the full article on the Daily Liberal here.