18 Jan 2018 Ovens and Murray Advertiser, Wangaratta VIC (General News) WORKS are progressing on key road safety upgrades in the North East including the start of construction on a new overtaking lane on Beechworth-Wodonga Road at Wooragee. Jaclyn Symes (MLC, North Victoria) visited the construction site on Tuesday, where the overtaking lane has been designed to provide a safer opportunity for cars to pass one another on this notorious stretch of road. The overtaking lane for Wodonga-bound traffic, between Edmondson Lane and Star Lane, is part of a $9.6 million package of safety upgrades along a 15km length of Beechworth-Wodonga Road. The section between Beechworth and its intersection with Yackandandah Road has been identified as one of the states highest-risk rural roads, with 13 crashes resulting in five deaths and 14 serious injuries between June 2010 and August 2016. Other improvements include road widening between Wooragee and Yackandandah Road intersection, roadside flexible safety barriers between Beechworth and Yackandandah Road, and audio tactile line-markings along both the centre and edge of the road. Construction of a new roundabout at the Beechworth-Wodonga Road and Yackandandah Road intersection will start later this month and will include a shared bicycle-pedestrian underpass that will form part of the Murray to Mountains Rail Trail. Were getting on with this crucial upgrade to transform Beechworth-Wodonga Road from one of the states riskiest to one of the safest, Ms Symes said. This new overtaking lane will allow drivers to overtake other cars safely, reducing the risk of serious crashes and saving lives. Adding a roundabout and overtaking lane will improve traffic flow and save lives on this road. The shared underpass for pedestrians and cyclists will allow them to go under the road and will reduce the risk of collisions with cars. A second stage of works, including a safer speed limit of 80km per hour through the village of Wooragee, will begin by mid-2018. The entire package of upgrades is expected to be complete by the end of 2018. VicRoads is holding a community information stall about the upgrades to BeechworthWodonga Road on Sunday at Yackandandahs Lions Club market. Caption Text: SAFETY WORKS: Parliamentarian Jaclyn Symes (left) with VicRoads Hume region acting director Steve McCallum and project delivery team leader George Lumicisi at the overtaking lane construction stretch on Tuesday. Licensed by Copyright Agency. You may only copy or communicate this work with a licence.