Roads injection for North West

North-West Queensland will receive $210.4 million funding injection to improve industry competitiveness and support regional development as part of a record $13.3 billion roads program for Queensland.

The latest five-year Roads Implementation Program, launched today by Transport and Main Roads Minister Paul Lucas, delivers a massive $1.75 billion, or 15% increase on last year.

“Almost 2,500 road projects, 99 of which are new to the program, will be built statewide over the next five years.

"The funding boost is even more impressive when you compare the estimated expenditure over the next five years with spending over the past five years.

“It’s a total increase of $5.3 billion over five years, or 67 per cent to keep Queensland moving and booming,'' Mr Lucas said.

“We are committed to delivering the projects that make our roads safer and help meet the needs of a growing state.”

Mr Lucas said the Beattie Government's program continued to deliver for North-West Queensland road users.

“The north west is one of the most decentralised parts of the state, but includes key industrial areas such as Mount Isa,” Mr Lucas said.

“This works program focuses on upgrading key freight routes, targeting investment in widening the single-lane sealed network, and improving quality of life for rural and remote communities.

“All up, the state and federal governments will provide a total of almost $105 million for north western Queensland road projects over the next two years,” he said.

Key projects funded this financial year and the 2008-09 financial year include:

• $9 million towards widening single-lane bitumen sections of

the Burke Developmental Road between Cloncurry and Normanton, at a total estimated cost of $28 million

• $9.5 million to construct a new Gilbert River Bridge on the Burke Developmental Road north-east of Normanton, at a total cost of $10 million

·$12 million to continue widening work on the Flinders Highway between Charters Towers and Cloncurry.

·$6.7 million worth of subsidies to assist local government upgrade and maintain council roads, under the state government's Transport Infrastructure Development Scheme (TIDS).

Media Contact: Darren Roberts 3237 1947 / 0448 184566