Government spends $18.5 million upgrading toilets, lighting, road surface and providing enough parking spaces for 14 B-doubles
December 10, 2012
A major refurbishment of a rest area on the Bruce Highway in Queensland has been completed, with the works providing parking spaces and revamped facilities.
The Federal Government invested $18.5 million in the Waverley Creek rest area, which is 11km south of St Lawrence at the halfway point between Mackay and Rockhampton.
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese says the funds were spent upgrading the facility’s toilets, lighting and road surface, along with providing enough parking spaces for 14 B-doubles.
“In addition, we’ve started repairing 26km of highway at three separate locations between Granite Creek and Freshwater Creek, with this remaining element of the project on track to be completed next year,” he says.
The Government has also approved funding to upgrade the Hay Point intersection on the highway between Mackay and Sarina.
Albanese says it has been the scene of more than 50 crashes over the past 10 years. The Government will spend $15 million replacing the existing T-intersection and temporary traffic lights with a roundabout.
Work is expected to begin in mid-2013 and be completed by mid-2014.
“This move will no doubt be welcomed by all regular users of the highway, particularly the 12,000 motorists and truck drivers that pass through this intersection every day,” Albanese says.
The funds are coming from the Government’s Bruce Highway Safety Package, which is bankrolling new overtaking lanes, fixing more than 100 black spots between Caboolture and Cairns and building 24 new rest areas.
“All up, we’re investing an unprecedented $2.8 billion over six years (2008-09 to 2013-14) to build a better, safer Bruce Highway for the up to 170,000 vehicles which use it daily,” Albanese says.
