Australian Government Black Spot Program

The Black Spots Program makes an important contribution in reducing the national road toll under the National Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan.

The Program provides financial support to target specific road locations where crashes occur or are at risk of occurring by funding infrastructure treatments such as, roundabouts, pedestrian crossings, safety barriers and audio-tactile line marking (ATLM) to reduce the risk of further crashes.

The Australian Government contributes up to 100% funding for black spot projects under this Program. There is approximately $41 million available for NSW projects in the 2026/27 round. Transport administers the Australian Government Black Spots Program in NSW on behalf of the Australian Government.

Program objective

The objective of the Black Spots Program is to reduce the social and economic costs of road trauma by:

  • identifying and applying cost-effective treatment of locations with a record of casualty crashes
  • placing significant focus on the need to reduce road trauma, in accordance with national road safety policy objectives
  • using a proportion of funds to treat sites identified as potential crash locations (proactive projects), and to implement other road safety measures.

Applications for the 2026/2027 Australian Government Black Spots Program

Applications for the 2026/2027 Program opened on 20 August 2025. Councils will have about ten weeks to submit applications, which will close at midnight 31 October 2025.

Eligibility

Nominations for black spot locations are invited from:

  • local councils
  • community groups, associations, road user groups, industry, and individuals can submit suggestions to their local council. Councils are responsible for then submitting the nominations for Local and Regional Roads.
Project eligibility

Urban:

  • must have at least three casualty crashes over a five-year period for intersections, mid-block or short road lengths (less than 3km)
  • for locations three kilometres or longer, the average casualty crash rate must be at least 0.2 crashes per kilometre per year.

Rural:

  • must have at least two casualty crashes over a five-year period for intersections, mid-block or short road lengths (less than 3km)
  • for locations three kilometres or longer, the average casualty crash rate must be at least 0.13 crashes per kilometre per year.

General requirements for both urban and rural areas:

  • a Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) greater than two for reactive nominations
  • the total project cost must be $three million or less
  • multi-year projects including development and delivery are eligible however development-only proposals are not eligible.

Proactive projects

  • the total project cost must be three million dollars or less, and;
  • must include a Safe Systems Assessment
  • a minimum of 30 per cent of Black Spots Program funds may be used for proactive projects (sites that may not meet the required urban or rural crash history criteria).

Proactive projects

  • the total project cost must be three million dollars or less
  • must include a Safe Systems Assessment.
  • a minimum of 30 per cent of Black Spot Program funds may be used for proactive projects (sites that may not meet the required urban or rural crash history criteria).
  • the total project cost must be three million dollars or less, and;
  • must include a Safe Systems Assessment.
  • a minimum of 30 per cent of Black Spot Program funds may be used for proactive projects (sites that may not meet the required urban or rural crash history criteria).

Types of projects funded under this program

The Australian Government provides funding to improve the physical condition or management of sites where crashes are occurring or are at risk of occurring.

Black spot projects aim to implement safety-related traffic management infrastructure – including roundabouts, street lighting, pedestrian crossing facilities, line marking, and safety barriers.

Black spot projects undertaken as part of larger works

Discrete sites or lengths to be treated as part of a larger project or program of works may be nominated for Black Spots Program funding.

Any site or length must meet the eligibility criteria for funding and be accompanied by evidence that the crash statistics or Safe Systems Assessment supporting the nomination relate to the discrete site or length for which funding is sought.

Address the eligibility criteria

For your nomination to be considered, you must provide the following information:

  • location-specific information relating to the project
  • relevant crash data for the specified five-year period (01/07/2019 to 30/06/2024) including a detailed crash diagram (for projects where crashes have occurred)
  • site sketch or design
  • detailed cost estimate showing breakdown of costs and risk-based contingency
  • Safe Systems Assessment (for proactive project nominations).

What your application needs to include

For full details, refer to the Australian Government Black Spots Program Guidelines and the NSW Supplementary Guidelines (PDF, 978.11 KB).

Project submission

All project proposals must be prepared and submitted through the Safer Roads Program Management System (Online Portal).

Apply Now

For access to the Safer Roads Portal as a first-time user follow this link.

After the application is submitted

Integrity checks and technical assessments will be held from early November 2025 to late January 2026. Transport representatives undertake these checks and may contact councils if there is anything additional required to undertake these assessments and prepare the proposal for submission to the Safe Systems Assessment Panel.

Safe Systems Assessment Panels will be held in February 2026. Following the Panel information is prepared to present to the NSW Black Spots Consultative Panel for endorsement.

As this is an Australian Government funded Program, all approvals will be provided by the Australian Government. Transport will submit applications for approval to the Australian Government from April 2026.

Support and contact

For further information or help with your application, email:

Documents and Guidelines

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Guidelines