There were many people celebrating this time last week when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a major funding package for Queensland’s Bruce Highway.
With $7.2 billion to be provided by the federal government for crucial safety upgrades to the freight route, the federal opposition responded late last week by also committing the same money if it lands in government at this year’s federal election.
As one of the key drivers of the safety updates required to make the Bruce a safe stretch for drivers, the Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) welcomed the news. However, CEO Gary Mahon says the announcement’s timeframe needs work.
“We welcome the news, but we would’ve preferred the money being spent over four years, not eight, so we can start seeing some material difference over the next few years,” Mahon told OwnerDriver.
“When you compare it to the work undertaken on the Curra to Gympie section, which was a 62km section that took 15 years to complete, I don’t have confidence in how quickly this will get done.”
From what Mahon has heard, he’s expecting works to get underway by the end of the year. If this does happen, he wants other projects involving the Bruce, such as the Rockhampton Ring Road upgrades, to not be sacrificed.
“I’m hoping all work gets underway this year while works continue on the Rockhampton Ring Road and the Tiaro Bypass,” Mahon says.
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“Unfortunately we’ve had no reply yet whether this work will include building rest areas on both sides of the road. We’ve argued strongly that significant rest areas should be included on both sides of the highway for the bypass but have had no clear commitments made as of yet.”
To hasten the necessary safety upgrades, Mahon wants interim treatment to happen on certain priority areas of the Bruce. In the past few weeks, two major crashes involving fatalities have occurred near Maryborough. With the federal government signalling it’ll start works in that area, Mahon wants this to occur as soon as possible.
He says it’s warranted to complete interim work on these areas until the major works begin.
“When you mix together works such as pavement widening, overtaking lanes, wide centre line treatment and rumble strips over hundreds of kilometres, it sounds like a big number,” he says.
“However, over eight years this doesn’t spread that far. We’re grateful to see a funding boost and for the federal government returning to a 50:50 commitment, but we would’ve preferred to see the level of works intensified and done over four to five years, not eight.”
Mahon is ready to bring these thoughts to the Bruce Highway Advisory Council, which was re-established late last year by the new Queensland government. Having originally been part of the council before it was disbanded, Mahon found the first meeting in Townsville late last year of the new council to be productive.
From the meeting, he says Queensland transport and main roads minister Brent Mickelberg indicated that installing dual lanes was set to be the approach he is advocating for to future proof key roads such as the Bruce.
“The first meeting was fruitful because there’s a good blend in the group – we had some engaged conversations on priorities and what matters most for certain people,” Mahon says.
“I understood minister Mickelberg’s answer to be he’d advocate for dual lanes, but he couldn’t say if it would happen or not as it’s subject to his negotiations with the federal government.”
With the next meeting not occurring until either April or May, Mahon is relieved that the opposition has also committed to the major funding for the Bruce. At the same time, he doesn’t want all politics to be focused on just the Bruce.
While it is the major arterial and freight route for the state’s trucking industry, Mahon also knows a secondary road could revolutionise Queensland’s transport network.
“We want works to continue on the Inland Freight Route while this all happens in 2025,” he says.
“We have two significant pieces of work that need to be done at the Warrego Highway and the Gore Highway. The Gore is in dire need of substantial investment, while the Warrego needs to be finished to allow for a reasonable range of multi-combinations to be used on the road.
“This is how Queensland will have a genuine road freight framework that caters to all freight from B-doubles up to bigger combinations. It makes everything more efficient in the future.”
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