Preliminary work is now underway on a project to improve road safety along the Lakes Entrance Esplanade.
The Nationals Member for Gippsland Darren Chester said numerous black boxes used for traffic modelling had been spotted by locals along the roadside.
“The presence of these black boxes has been generating a fair bit of comment over the past week or so,” Mr Chester said.
“The boxes gather data on vehicle numbers, traffic patterns and type to give the project team a clear idea of how and when the road is used by what kinds of road users to help forecast future traffic flows.
“This road is an important and busy freight and tourism route, so we want to make sure pedestrians and holiday makers in Lakes Entrance can move around our town easily and safely.
“The Federal Government and the State Government will jointly spend $50 million on upgrading 300 kilometres of the Princes Highway from Sale to the New South Wales border.
“Safety will be improved for everyone who uses the highway and will make Gippsland more attractive for visitors and new industries.
“The data gathered by the black boxes will be used to make sure the work undertaken caters for our future needs.”
VicRoads is currently reviewing comments made by members of the public during the first phase of its consultation program.
VicRoads will use this feedback to identify specific locations needing improvement, including stretches of the highway needing widening, overtaking lanes or safety barriers.
The public will have a chance to comment on the improvements identified as a result of the consultation later this year.
