New, New England Highway overtaking lane is “Pechey”

Work has begun this week on a $1.93 million a project to add an overtaking lane to the New England Highway at Pechey Forest, south of Crows Nest.

Transport and Main Roads Minister, Paul Lucas, said the project would include widening and resurfacing of a 3.8 kilometre section of the highway to accommodate a northbound overtaking lane.

"This section of the highway carries about 2300 vehicles a day, with nine percent being heavy vehicles such as trucks,'' he said.

"Adding an extra lane will reduce the risk of head-on collision for traffic travelling north from Toowoomba to Crows Nest and the South Burnett by providing safer option for motorists to overtake slower moving vehicles.”

The northbound overtaking lane will be 1.1 kilometres long with works to widen the existing road to 10 metres and provide sealed shoulders.

Mr Lucas said the overtaking lane is the latest instalment of a much larger $33 million Queensland Government commitment under the Rural and Regional Roads Funding Initiative.

The program includes the widening of the New England Highway from Geham north to Crows Nest, and, a four lane expansion through Highfields between Cawdor Road and Reis Street.

The first section of the four-lane project through Highfields was completed in July last year at a cost of $5 million.

"Pechey Forest is the first of the widening projects between Geham and Crows Nest"

"Crows Nest Shire Council will do the work, which should be finished by July 2007,” Mr Lucas said.

The remaining four-lane project will start later this year.

It will be built in two sections, one from Cawdor Road to Highfields Road, the other from Borghardt Road to Reis Road.

Media Contact: Darren Roberts 3237 1947