Hume Highway curve improvements at Kyeamba: review of environmental factors

The Kyeannba section of the Hume Highway was identified in the Hume Highway Strategic Planning Study (Connell Wagner, 2004) as a section requiring short-term safety improvements and ultimately duplication. This section of road has a series of three curves with the northern-most curve having a radius of 280m. The southern-most curve is located on a sharp crest and includes a climbing lane ending just beyond the crest. The recent accident history of the Kyeamba section of the Highway has prompted urgent action to establish short-term safety improvements in this area. The five-year accident history for the period 1998 — 2002 revealed that 12 accidents occurred at this section, 9 of which involved northbound vehicles losing control on the northern-most curve. Most recently in January 2004, a family of four people lost their lives in a single vehicle accident on the northern-most curve. This accident is now the subject of a Coronial enquiry. A meeting between the RTA and the Federal Department of Transport and Road Safety (DoTARS) on 14 July 2004 resulted in a commitment by both agencies to investigate options to improve the road safety of the northern-most curve.

休姆高速公路（Hume Highway）的基扬巴段在《休姆高速公路战略规划研究》（Connell Wagner，2004）中被认定为需开展短期安全改进并最终实施复线改造的路段。该路段包含三处连续弯道，其中最北侧的弯道半径为280米。最南侧的弯道设于陡峭的凸形竖曲线顶点之上，配套设有一条爬坡车道，其终点恰好位于凸形顶点后方。该高速公路基扬巴段近期的事故统计记录促使相关部门采取紧急行动，制定该区域的短期安全改进方案。1998年至2002年的五年事故统计数据显示，该路段共发生12起交通事故，其中9起为北向行驶车辆在最北侧弯道失控引发的事故。2004年1月发生的最新一起单方交通事故发生在最北侧弯道，造成一家四口遇难，目前该事故已进入验尸官调查程序。2004年7月14日，道路与交通管理局（Roads & Traffic Authority，简称RTA）与联邦交通与道路安全部（Department of Transport and Road Safety，简称DoTARS）举行会谈，双方达成共识，将共同调研改善该弯道道路安全的可行方案。