Upgrade to Queensland road considered dangerous due to number of trucks and general motorists using it won't begin anytime soon
By Brad Gardner | July 6, 2010
An upgrade to a North Queensland road considered dangerous due to the number of trucks and general motorists using it will not be upgraded anytime soon.
Main Roads Minister Craig Wallace yesterday rejected a petition from Innisfail residents for work to begin immediately on Innisfail-Japoon Road that leads off an intersection from the Bruce Highway.
Petitioners claim it “requires urgent upgrading and widening” because the number of trucks and caravans using the road are causing safety and dust problems.
Wallace says the Department of Transport and Main Roads can only carry out design work on a possible rehabilitation of the road from the intersection.
“However, there is no funding for this project in the current program and as such there is no timeframe for construction,” Wallace writes in a letter to the petitioners.
The petitioners also called for upgrades to the tourist route between Innisfail-Japoon Road to Paronella Park, claiming it “is one of the worst roads to travel on”.
Wallace says the road has been widened on sections north of the area requested by the petitioners, while work south of Paronella Park is due to begin this financial year.
Wallace also pointed out the Federal Government had responsibility for the Bruce Highway because it is on the national network.
“The Queensland Government is responsible for funding the upgrade and maintenance of Innisfail-Japoon Road,” he says.