Stephanie Helm says a funding commitment to finish works on the Barton Highway is long overdue. Photo: File.
The president of the Murrumbateman Community Association (the MCA) is calling for the “intergenerational battle” surrounding the Barton Highway to end.
Stephanie Helm, who is also a business owner, told Region it was “time for action” that went beyond planning.
“With the federal election looming, this is something that we’d really like to see on the agenda for our electorate,” she said.
“It’s something that the community has been calling for for many, many years.”
The 52 km road connects Yass to the ACT and has a reputation for being the scene of accidents and dangerous driving. In 2019, the Barton Highway was voted the worst road for congestion and safety in the Canberra/Goulburn region in a survey conducted by the NRMA.
“The sad reality for many residents is that if you live here long enough, you end up knowing someone who’s been killed or injured on the highway,” Ms Helm said.
“It really has a huge impact every time there is a crash. You just hope it’s not someone that you know.”
Ms Helm also described a reduced speed limit on a stretch of the Barton Highway, south of Murrumbateman, as “clear recognition from the government about how dangerous this road is”.
“That speed limit is actually now causing more driver frustration and unsafe overtaking, which is again identified as two of the main causes of crashes on the highway, because people don’t understand that it’s an 80 km/h zone,” she said.
For Ms Helm, a recent $25 million pledge from the Albanese Government towards planning the next stage of upgrades didn’t go far enough.
The first stage of works finished in February 2024, with a second stage to start near Kaveneys Road and extend north towards Gooda Creek Road.
“We’re calling for funding and we’re calling for a commitment to upgrade it in full,” she said.
“We just haven’t got those commitments, which is what we’re calling for. It’s enough talk – [it is] time for action.”
Community frustrations surrounding Barton Highway upgrades, which have cost more than $200 million, have long simmered. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
The MCA has thrown its support behind a rally, to be held this Saturday (12 April) from 10 am.
The rally’s organiser, fellow community group Duplicate the Barton Highway Community Action Group, is also calling for the project to be fully funded.
“My passion is as a mum and a community member to get that road finished,” said spokesperson Tara Davaris.
“That’s where I’m coming from.”
She said dangerous driving manoeuvres, combined with potholes, large trucks and the risk of hitting kangaroos, meant taking the Barton Highway could be risky.
Ms Davaris said anyone who travelled on the Barton Highway was invited to join the rally, and federal candidates in the 2025 election had also been invited.
“We’re hoping to get the Yass community to really rally with us, in hopes that everyone’s voice can be heard,” she said.
“If we get all of the community backing it, then hopefully the politicians can see that this is affecting real people, and maybe we could get things moving quicker.”
The rally will be held from 10 am at Coronation Park, 259 Comur Street, Yass. Attendees will be invited to travel in a convoy to Murrumbateman Recreation Grounds, at 19 East Street in Murrumbateman, for a second event from 11:30 am.
More information about the Barton Highway project is available on the Transport for NSW website.
