Smart Highway Tech Trial Aims to Ease Traffic Woes in NSW's Cassilis

With a population of about 300, Cassilis in the New South Wales Upper Hunter seems an unlikely location for traffic issues. However, local woman Jane Hegarty, chair of the district's development group, disagrees. "There's certainly a lot more oversize and over-mass vehicles where you're having to pull off the road, so it's definitely becoming a much more hazardous journey," she said. Ms Hegarty attributes the problem partly to traffic traveling to and from the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), with components imported via the Port of Newcastle and transported to the Central West by road. "The Golden Highway is the main thoroughfare from Newcastle to Dubbo," Ms Hegarty explained. "Currently, it is about 30 per cent heavy vehicles and that is increasing with all the developments for the REZ. It is frustrating because … we haven't even got to peak construction period and we're already noticing a difference." To address this, the NSW government is trialing smart highway technology - the Rural Intersection Speed Zone (RISZ) system - on the Golden Highway at Cassilis. This system uses vehicle detection and variable speed limit signs to slow down vehicles, allowing safer merging. Transport for NSW (TfNSW) Executive Director Operational Technology John-Paul Ahern detailed how the system works: "It will detect vehicles on Ulan Road as they approach the Golden Highway, and it will then trigger some signs on the highway itself, warning those vehicles in advance that there's a vehicle going to come out of Ulan Road." Designed for rural intersections, RISZ aims to help larger vehicles merge safely. While similar technology exists in Victoria, TfNSW customized this version for Cassilis, considering its high volume of heavy vehicles for the REZ, freight, and mining. Crash data shows three serious accidents at this intersection in the last five years. NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison noted the RISZ system's dynamic approach: "This is something that we want to see where speed zones are relevant to the traffic needs of the places where they are located and so we're not just putting blanket speed zone restrictions." Minister Aitchison acknowledged the Golden Highway's significant role in the state's energy transition, with over $128.5 million already invested in upgrades. "We're doing significant upgrades on … the Golden Highway, which has already received over $128.5 million in funding, with more on its way," she said, calling the upgrades a "generational investment" in the road network. "The long-term benefit will be that once these renewable energy zones are established and the traffic goes back to normal, [the community] will still have the legacy of a vastly improved network on their highway," Minister Aitchison added. Ms Hegarty remains cautious about the RISZ's effectiveness: "I think it's a measure to try and save the cost of having to put in some turning lanes. It will be interesting to see how effective it is and whether it does prevent accidents." The RISZ system will be trialed at the site for 12 months.