Drivers on 83 high-risk NSW roads are getting safety upgrades, with the state government committing $230 million to barriers, better intersections and safer crossings at known crash hotspots.

The details

The funding is the next stage of the Towards Zero Safer Roads Program, part of a broader $2.8 billion road safety commitment over four years in the 2026-27 NSW Budget. Of that budget's road safety funding for 2026-27, 62 per cent is going to regional areas.

NSW AI Camera Fines Top $400m as Robo-Fines Debated
NSW AI camera fines have topped $400 million, and Transport for NSW now has a tender out for a new automated enforcement system. What it means for drivers.
CarExploreDylan Anderson

The 83 projects span both metropolitan and regional NSW. Upgrades include safety barriers, rumble strips, shoulder widening, new intersections and improved pedestrian crossings. Work on several projects has already started, with the rest to be delivered over the next three years.

The biggest single project is a $30 million stretch of continuous safety barriers along the Hume Highway from Mittagong to the Victorian border. Other major works include a $13.9 million upgrade on the Newell Highway between Tocumwal and Forbes, and a $7.3 million new signalised intersection at the Great Western Highway and Kington Street in Minchinbury.

Sydney drivers will also see changes at the Old Hume Highway (Remembrance Driveway) in Camden South, the Great Western Highway at Emu Plains, and the Beecroft Road and Kirkham Street intersection in Beecroft, all getting new traffic signals.

What it means for drivers

If you drive one of these routes regularly, expect construction activity as work rolls out over the next three years, particularly on the Hume and Newell highways where barrier and line-marking work is planned across long stretches.

The upgrades target locations the government has identified as high-risk, meaning drivers on these roads should see fewer head-on and run-off-road crashes once the barriers, wider shoulders and rumble strips are in place. Regional roads are getting the bulk of the funding, reflecting the higher share of serious crashes recorded outside metropolitan areas.

Minister for Roads and Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison said the upgrades were about preventing crashes before they happen.

"We're investing in practical safety improvements where they'll have the greatest impact, reducing the risk of serious crashes and saving lives across NSW," Minister Aitchison said.

Source: NSW Government

NSW Scraps After-Hours Roadworks Speed Limits
NSW has scrapped after-hours roadworks speed limits from 1 July 2026. Here’s what’s changed, who it affects, and when you can finally speed back up.
CarExploreDylan Anderson