The Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) has told OwnerDriver the recent floods closing key freight routes in Northern Queensland is proof that immediate upgrade work is required.
With the Bruce Highway and other popular freight bridges now being repaired after floods ravaged the area in recent weeks, QTA CEO Gary Mahon says it’s time to focus on the timeframe of Bruce Highway upgrades.
“This reinforces the need to bring forward the capital investment in the Bruce – rather than stretching it out for four to eight years, it needs to be done in three to five,” Mahon told OwnerDriver.
“I’m pleased to hear the Premier using language that shows he’s committed to building infrastructure back better than before rather than just replacing it to the same level, which is what usually happens with emergency fund arrangements.”
These funds will help the likes of the Macrossan Bridge be upgraded after it failed again during the floods. This investment follows the federal government committing $7.2 billion to upgrade the Bruce, with the opposition also pledging to follow suit if it wins at this year’s election.
Mahon says this large-scale investment is desperately needed to both improve the safety of the Bruce while also ensuring it’s more prepared to handle flood events.
“Fundamentally after this $9 billion spent in the next three to five years, the road also needs another $9 billion in the following five years, as there’s still plenty of work to be done,” he says.
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“We need to see works done on overtaking lanes, pavement widths, drains and rest areas to make a tangible difference.”
While the Bruce Highway is the main freight route in northern Queensland, Mahon also points out that the Flinders Highway is in need of some love. The road joins the Bruce from Charters Towers across to Townsville, with the Macrossan Bridge a key focus point along this route.
Mahon says truckies need a reliable corridor to access Townsville, as currently the intense rain and flooding is becoming an annual event that the road freight industry has to deal with.
“We’re well used to these floods, but we need better infrastructure to cope with it,” he says.
“The biggest problems is when bridges are washed out or ruined by floods, as we then need remedial works done immediately. In those times, major detours in the form of 400km backroads are relied on, and that changes the game for operators travelling through the region.”
It’s a tale Mahon is used to telling. He recalls the Palmerston Highway being lost for up to five months last year due to weather events. While he’s pleased that money has also been committed to the Inland Freight Route, which is showing its importance as an all-weather option, he wants to see improvement works begin immediately.
“The story of our infrastructure performance is not a great one, it amplifies how important it is to get that capital investment into our road infrastructure in north Queensland,” Mahon says.
“The Inland Freight Route performs fairly well now, and the investment is being made by the federal government as we speak.
“In the meantime, we’ll keep telling our members and other operators to factor these impacts into their costs. Not all clients will cooperate with additional costs, but it’s unreasonable to expect people to be delayed for so long and to absorb those extra costs.”
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