Stanley Highway Upgrade

About the project

The Stanley Highway leads to some of the state’s most iconic tourist destinations, including The Nut and the historic township of Stanley.

We are planning upgrades to the highway that will improve safety and traffic flow and enhance the visitor experience along this popular tourist route.

Stage 1 of these upgrades will focus on section B, with upgrades to Trethewies Lookout happening in summer 2024/2025.

Upgrades to the lookout have been prioritised based on feedback from key stakeholders, local landowners, and nearby residents.

This upgrade is the first stage of the Stanley Highway Upgrade project. We are currently finalising the design for the second stage of the project, which is expected to start in 2025.

Community consultation

In October 2023,we spoke with landowners near the highway, residents, and other key stakeholders, including Circular Head Council and the Stanley Chamber of Commerce, to get their feedback on a concept design for two sections of the highway:

• Section A: The northern section of the Stanley Highway, which starts at Dovecote Road and continues past the residential area for around 500 metres
• Section B: The southern section of the Stanley Highway, starting at the Bass Highway intersection, which includes the approach to Stanley and passes Trethewie’s Lookout.

We learned that Section B is the overwhelming priority, and the community supports increasing the scope of the project to include safety improvements at Trethewie’s Lookout. Upgrades to the lookout will begin in summer 2024/25.

Based on our discussions with the community, and the increased costs to Section B due to the requested safety improvements at the lookout, it may be necessary to shorten the length of highway to be upgraded to meet the priorities of the community and our budget requirements.

We are currently reviewing project cost estimates and considering which section/s of the highway should be prioritised and included in this upgrade, which needs to be completed within the $10 million funding available.

Timing

Work on Trethewie’s Lookout has been completed, with the upgraded lookout now fully available to the public. We are currently reviewing project cost estimates and considering which section/s of the highway should be prioritised and completed next for this project. We will keep the community updated as this project progresses.

Maps

This map below shows the section of the Stanley Highway we will upgrade.

This map below shows the Upgrades to Trethewies Lookout.

Funding

This project has funding of $10 million from the Tasmanian Government, as part of its North West and West Coast Infrastructure Program.

Accessibility

If you would like to find out more information and you have accessibility requirements, please contact the project engagement consultant (details below).

You can find out more about Transport Services' commitment to accessibility on our website here: https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/accessibility

Contact

If you have any questions regarding these works, please contact the project team at stanleyhighwayupgrade@stategrowth.tas.gov.au or Stakeholder Engagement Consultant Angela Riley on 0418 662 000.