Road safety projects in Queensland, northeast Australia, have been fast-tracked with AU$174.7 million in funding for nearly 50 more upgrades to be completed in the next 12 months, according to a report in the Australian Fleet Management Association (AfMA).

The new funding adds to an announced AU$296.25 million in joint funding last January to speed up construction of nearly 100 Queensland road safety projects, part of a AU$3 billion nationwide road safety program.

“The funding supports the fast roll-out of life-saving safety works on rural and regional roads and is another example of the Australian Government working to reduce the number of Australians missing around the dinner table due to tragedies on our roads,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce.

The road safety program includes such improvements as better rest facilities, intersection upgrades, new barriers, extra street lighting and overtaking lanes, audio tactile line-marking and wide center line treatments on high-risk roads across the state.

The AfMA is a nonprofit peak industry association with members throughout Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia. Membership represents all industries including federal, state and local government and is responsible for the management of many hundreds of thousands fleet vehicles.