Sorell-Hobart corridor labelled worst in state

THE inclusion of the HobartSorell corridor at the top of a list of Tasmania’s worst roads came as no surprise to Sorell Mayor Kerry Vincent.

Sections of the Tasman Highway, including the road that links Sorell with the CBD, came in at the top of the list in a survey of more than 5500 RACT members.

Cr Vincent said as the region grew, so did the traffic and the frustration of commuters.

“It’s very similar to Kingston and the Southern Outlet discussion, it’s almost daily in the news,’’ he said.

“It’s on everyone’s mind coming in and out and there is nobody in Sorell that isn’t affected by it.”

Cr Vincent said the region was grateful for a $130 million funding package for the Hobart-Sorell corridor to address traffic issues.

The survey results, released yesterday, came after RACT asked members to rank the worst roads in Tasmania. The Midland Highway, Southern Outlet and sections of the Bass Highway also made the top 10.

Overall, RACT members this year rated the standard of roads in Tasmania as being 6.05 out of 10, compared to 4.88 in 2017.

“We have seen a marked improvement in how our members rate Tasmania’s roads in the past two years,” RACT acting group chief executive Stacey Pennicott said.

“We believe a lot of this is to do with recent upgrades at notorious stretches of road such as the intersection of the Huon Highway at Summerleas Rd, as well as the continued upgrade of the Midland Highway.

“For the first time in many years, the Midland Highway dropped from number one on the list of our members’ top 10 worst roads to second.

“This is a good indicator that the [state and federal government’s] 10-year plan is achieving its long-term goal of providing improved infrastructure on this vital link between the state’s main cities.”

The RACT said NorthWest members had the highest regard for the state’s roads, rating them 6.54 out of 10, up from 5.27 in 2017.

Members in the South rated the roads 5.76 out of 10, up from 4.68, while northern members ranked them 6.26 out of 10, up from 5.01.

“We believe the difference of opinion of our members in different regions reflects the spend on infrastructure in these areas of the state,’’ Ms Pennicott said.

“In recent years we have seen significant investment in the Bass Highway in the North-West and Midland Highway in the North of the state, which we believe has contributed to the improvement in ratings.”

Ms Pennicott said while current Midland Highway works were frustrating, the upgrade was an example of a well-planned and funded upgrade that should be replicated around the state.

Sorell Mayor Kerry Vincent