Mount Gordon upgrade, outside Bowen, is the latest in Queensland's Heavy Vehicle Rest Area program
Truck drivers will have another spot to rest along Queensland’s coastal Bruce Highway after the Mount Gordon heavy vehicle rest area outside Bowen became available following a $1.3 million upgrade.
With a universal access toilet, water, a table and barbecue available, the upgrades to the rest stop are now in their final stages of completion and available to use.
The opening comes in the same week as the Australian Trucking Association (ATA) spoke strongly on rest area amenities.
Queensland roads minister Mark Bailey said the government is planning to upgrade other unsealed heavy vehicle pullover areas at sites north of Clairview, north of Gumlu, south of Bloomsbury and between Proserpine and Bowen before mid-2020 under its Heavy Vehicle Rest Area program.
A new heavy vehicle rest area will also be built south of Koumala as part of the plan, he said.
“The Heavy Vehicle Rest Area program has delivered more than 60 new or upgraded heavy vehicle rest areas, more than 20 new stopping places, as well as 17 upgrades, including livestock specific projects,” he says.
“To maximise user benefits, we are continuing to work closely with industry bodies and community groups to ensure rest areas support their needs.”
Upgrades to rest stops have been delivered along the Capricorn, Leichhardt and Peak Downs Highways since 2015, with a new heavy vehicle rest area also opened at Kooltandra, near Marlborough, in 2017.