Starting today (Tuesday May 1), Ballina Shire Council will begin upgrades to a particularly treacherous three-kilometre section of Byron Bay Road, Lennox Head, that it’s identified as a black spot.
The Roads and Maritime Service (RMS) identified the black spot and has allocated $1.9 million of combined state and federal money to the upgrade.
The works will include road reconstruction and shoulder widening along the road section just north of the Ross Lane intersection, according to Ballina Shire Council’s Civil Services Manager John Truman.
Once completed, they should ‘significantly decrease the risk of crashes along Byron Bay Road,’ he added.
The council works are scheduled to continue for three months (weather permitting) and will be carried out during business hours with traffic control. Reduced speed limits will be in place and motorists should expect minor delays.
‘This upgrade aims to prevent future crashes as we continue to build a safer road network for our shire,’ Mr Truman said.
‘We have also identified the current traffic volume (5,775 vehicles per day) is expected to steadily increase due to residential development in both Byron and Ballina Shire areas. This traffic growth is likely to include substantial commuter traffic travelling between residential and employment areas,’ he added.
The upgrade jointly funded by the Australian Government’s Black Spot program and the NSW Government’s Safer Roads initiative.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
