Summerland Way Audit

Grafton to the Mount Lindesay Highway Executive Summary

Maunsell Australia was commissioned by the NRMA in July 2004 to conduct an independent route audit of the Summerland Way. The area under study in this report is from Grafton to the Mount Lindesay Highway, approximately 200 kilometres in length.

The key components of the audit were desktop research, a field survey and a review of the RTA's existing forward program.

Data was collected on all route information using a GPS unit linked to a handheld data logger. Data was entered while travelling at as near to highway speed as possible to mimic the conditions experienced by road users. The survey vehicle was operated by two Maunsell staff - one driving and one operating the GPS unit linked to the data logger.

The route audit of the Summerland Way has judged the section from Kyogle to Grafton to be of fair quality and the section north of Kyogle to be of poor quality. In particular, the pavement conditions of small sections of the route, amounting to two per cent of the length, are extremely poor and warrant immediate attention. Shoulders are narrow and there are only six rest areas. Only 24 curve advisory signs have been provided, yet the horizontal geometry is poor.

Realignment works have been carried out at MacLean's Bridge near Grevillia and are in progress to replace the wooden bridge at Richmond River, Wiangaree. Works are planned at the second wooden bridge at Burnett's Creek, north of Dairy Flat but have not yet commenced.

Crash analysis reveals a very slight downward trend in the total number of crashes and the number of fatalities and injuries between 1994 and 2003. The most common crash type between 2001 and 2003 was when a vehicle runs off the carriageway (RUM type 70-79), which could be a result of the poor shoulder provision. Within this group, the crash types where a driver hits an object are the most common, highlighting the clear zone hazards.

Since the 1995 audit, it would appear that lanes have not been widened and opportunities for overtaking have not increased. However, pavement condition has improved, together with additional curve advisory signs and the introduction of '50 kilometres per hour zones' in urban areas, which may have contributed to the decrease in the number of crashes and injuries in 2003.

For a copy of the full audit report contact the Public Policy team via email on public.policy@mynrma.com.au or call (02) 8222 2158.