Newell Highway rumble strips

Transport for NSW will continue carrying out the work which includes installing rumble strips (also known as Audio Tactile Line Marking or ATLM) on the final two sections of the Newell Highway on both the centre and edge lines.

Section 1: Narrabri to North Star and section 2: Parkes to Tooraweenah were completed in October 2022.

Section 3: Ardlethan to Parkes and Section 4: Tocumwal to Ardlethan to Parkes are expected to be complete by April 2023.

Work is being carried out between 6am and 6pm Monday to Sunday.

Transport for NSW will continue carrying out the work, which includes is installing rumble strips (also known as Audio Tactile Line Marking or ATLM) on the Newell Highway on both the centre and edge lines in four targeted sections. Section 1; Narrabri to North Star and section 2; Parkes to Tooraweenah began 11 November 2021 with section 3 and section 4 yet to be commenced.

Due to unexpected extreme weather conditions, the works are now scheduled for completion in late September 2022.

Work will be carried out between 6am and 6pm Monday to Sunday.

Changed traffic conditions are expected to be in place until the end of September 2022, weather permitting. View or download the May 2022 notification (PDF, 289Kb).

The Australian and NSW Governments are jointly funding this $398 million project to improve safety and reduce the risk of head-on and run-off-road crashes will be carried out along the Newell Highway from Thursday 11 November.

Section 1; Narrabri to North Star and Section 2; Parkes to Tooraweenah will begin on 11 November with section 3 and section 4 to begin in early 2022. We have included a map to show the location of the project. We will be working between 7.00am and 6.00pm from Monday to Saturday. View or download the November 2021 notification (PDF, 296Kb).

This project is a part of the Australian and New South Wales Government $398M investment in road safety improvements through the Safer Roads Program and is funded under the Australian Government's $140M stimulus contribution towards this program.

The program has been designed to address the number of people being killed and seriously injured on country roads by delivering a variety of safety improvements.

The NSW Government has developed the Saving Lives on Country Roads initiative, as part of the Safer Roads Program, to help address the number of people being killed and seriously injured on country roads. The program has been designed to deliver a number of safety improvements for high risk country roads.

The primary objective of this project is to install rumble strips along almost the entire length of the Newell Highway to reduce the occurrence of fatigue related crashes. Rumble strips have already been installed between Coonabarabran and Narrabri. The North Star to Boggabilla section will be completed as part of a separate project later in 2021.

Rumble strips are installed by a small buggy at walking pace (approximately 3 kilometres per hour) on both the centre and edge lines and will be delivered in four sections along the Newell Highway.

Installation locations:

• Section 1: Narrabri to North Star (157km)
• Section 2: Parkes to Tooraweenah (162km)
• Section 3: Ardlethan to Parkes (160km)
• Section 4: Tocumwal to Ardlethan (190km)

What are rumble strips and how do they work?

Rumble strips, also known as Audio Tactile Line Marking (ATLM), are small raised bumps generally placed on the edge lines and centrelines of roads. Rumble strips help prevent crashes associated with driving tired and distraction. They alert drivers or riders when they are drifting out of their lane by generating a distinct sound and vibration. This allows the driver or rider time to correct their path and reduce the risk of a crash.

What are the safety benefits of rumble strips?

Rumble strips are estimated to reduce the likelihood of vehicles departing their lane by up to 25%. When installed with wide centreline, rumble strips can reduce fatalities and injuries from head-on crashes by up to 65%.

How do rumble strips improve safety?

Rumble strips provide a noise and vibratory warning to a driver or rider who has drifted from their lane due to fatigue or poor visibility due to rain or fog.

Rumble strips are intended to allow drivers the opportunity to correct their path when their vehicle comes into contact with them.

This treatment targets run-off-road and head-on crashes. It is also particularly effective in night-time conditions or adverse weather conditions.

Are rumble strips noisy?

Rumble strips are loud enough to be heard by the driver, but not excessively loud. When rumble strips are installed less than 200m of a residential building, assessments are completed to determine any negative potential noise implications for nearby residences and any broader community impacts. In all instances, rumble strips are installed to prevent crashes from occurring and carry significant positive safety impacts.

• May 2022 notification

  Installation of rumble strips on the Newell Highway.

• November 2021 notification

  Installation of rumble strips on the Newell Highway.

• January 2021 notification
  Installation of rumble strips on the Newell Highway.