New accelerating lanes to deal with a Picton Road crash hotspot were officially opened on Friday.
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The road has undergone an extensive series of upgrades to reduce the risk of crashes in recent years.
The latest work was a 12-month project jointly funded by state and federal governments to add accelerating lanes out of two rest areas – one on either side of Picton Road.
READ MORE: Tunnel plan for Picton Road
Wollondilly MP Jai Rowell said the lanes were designed to allow heavy vehicles to reach the 100km/h speed limit before merging onto the road.
“It’s a huge problem,” Mr Rowell said.
“We’ve had a number of car and truck accidents in that stretch of road over the last five years – about 15 – and some of those have been fatalities.
“The evidence from RMS shows us that this will significantly improve safety and save lives.”
A concrete median along the 500-metre stretch between the two rest stops has also been installed to reduce head-on collisions.