The federal government appears to have backed away from a $1.75 million commitment to investigate the business case for the full duplication of the Barton Highway.
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The Barton Highway Improvement Strategy, released Friday, instead said analysis of road data found investing a projected $1 billion in fully duplicating the highway "cannot be justified in the immediate future".
"Evidence also suggests that duplication is not likely to be required within the 20 year framework of the current strategy," the report said.
The $1.75 million formed part of a $50 million pre-election commitment to upgrade the crash-heavy road. A Roads and Maritime Services spokesman said the business case for its duplication was still part of the package but its funding was "yet to be determined".
"All of the planned works under the $50 million package are being developed and designed to complement future duplication," he said.
The Barton Highway Improvement Strategy outlined priority improvements including more overtaking lanes in the highway's southern section and upgrades to the road surface.
"Safety works including better road delineation, widening clear zones in high crash areas, and improving access and safety for cyclists and pedestrians within Murrumbateman village are also recommended," Infrastructure Minister Darren Chester said.
"The strategy also recommends the roll-out of Intelligent Transport Systems technology to inform and help road users with travel decisions while improving incident management."
The 52-kilometre Barton Highway connects southern and western New South Wales to the ACT.
Up to 12,500 vehicles travel along the ACT border each day with the largest volume leaving the capital Friday and Sunday afternoons.
More than 135 crashes were recorded on the road between 2009 and 2013 with seven fatalities and 70 related injuries.
The majority of crashes were between Murrumbateman and the ACT border, representing about 44 per cent of all crashes.
"The casualty crash rate of 0.37 crashes per kilometre per year along the corridor is significantly higher than the average crash rate for other roads with similar general traffic and heavy vehicle volumes," the improvement strategy said.
The Yass Valley Council has urged the government investigate duplicating the Barton as an overriding priority.
"There is no evidence to date to show that any strategic planning has been undertaken to identify the most efficient location to construct overtaking lanes and no analysis to determine whether it would be better to commence the duplication in the southern section (near the ACT border), rather than construct overtaking lanes that may soon be obsolete," acting general manager Sharon Hutch said.
