Nerang Intersection Undergos Safety Improvements

Work will start early next week on safety upgrades at a high risk intersection in Nerang with funding from the Rudd Labor Government's Economic Stimulus Plan.

We have provided the Queensland Government with $800,000 to upgrade the intersection of North Street and Southport-Nerang Road - the scene of nine serious crashes in the last five years, including a fatality.

I congratulate the Queensland Government for moving so quickly to put our economic stimulus money to work supporting jobs and fixing dangerous black spots on the State's local roads.

The safety upgrade will involve realigning the left turn lane from North Street into Southport-Nerang Road so as to improve visibility for motorists and reduce the speed at which vehicles move through the intersection.

This project was recommended by a panel of independent road safety experts.

The Black Spot program has a proven track record of saving lives with an evaluation showing that it prevented at least 32 fatalities and more than 1,500 serious injuries in its first three years.

Not only have we honoured our election commitment to increase on-going black spot funding by a massive 33 per cent, but we've also provided significant additional funding under our Economic Stimulus Plan.