One of Tasmania’s most popular holiday routes will receive significant funds in Thursday’s budget to help ease driver frustration caused by slow vehicles.
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The Great Eastern Drive, which runs along the East Coast, will see $6.3 million over the next four years for upgrades to improve flow.
Premier Will Hodgman said the capital works would make the road safer, and more enjoyable.
“The Great Eastern Drive offers some of the world’s most scenic coastal vistas between Orford and St Helens,” Mr Hodgman said.
“The 176 kilometres of gently undulating road along the stunning coastline of eastern Tasmania has been voted number one in Australian Traveller Magazine’s Ten Greatest Road Trips of Australia and number two in its 100 Greatest Holidays of Australia.”
The government has spent $500,000 marketing the road and changing signage, spruiking the region as a rival to Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.
“Further enhancements for the driver and rider experience will include pull over bays and other overtaking opportunities identified where slow moving traffic leads to driver frustration,” he said.
Mr Hodgman said interstate and overseas visitor numbers to Tasmania continued to grow at record numbers.
“The East Coast has been a major part of this success story with more people visiting, staying longer and spending more,” he said.
“Recent statistics for the East Coast region show visitor numbers are up 15 per cent and the number of room nights for holiday visitors is up 26 per cent with visitors staying an average of 2.9 nights.”
East Coast resort Saffire has won several accolades for its luxury accommodation at Coles Bay, attracting movie stars and international attention.
Avalon Coastal Retreat won gold at the national tourism awards earlier this year, and Sandpiper Ocean Cottages won silver.
Mr Hodgman said the road improvements were crucial to the government’s plan to attract 1.5 million visitors to the state by 2020.
Treasurer Peter Gutwein will hand down his third budget in Hobart on Thursday.
The roads funding follows an announcement by the government that it will spend record amounts on school infrastructure, with $100 million to go on upgrades across the state.