North West Road Tour

Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Paul Lucas, has begun a 1,200 kilometre road inspection tour of North West Queensland.

Mr Lucas is in the region at the invitation of Member for Mt Isa, Betty Kiernan, who is joining the Minister on the road.

“Betty Kiernan has a wealth of local knowledge, she knows the region and understands the road issues here,” Mr Lucas said.

“The tour includes the Barkly Highway, Wills Developmental Road and the Flinders Highway.

“We’ll cover a lot of territory and expect to clock up almost as many kilometres as the trip from Brisbane to the Victorian border.

“In the past five years $346 million has been invested in road upgrades for the North West, including $211 million in state funding.

“Every year the State Government returns to the North West‘s roads more than double what it collects in registration for the whole of Western Queensland.”

Mrs. Kiernan said she was delighted the Minister had accepted her invitation to inspect North West Queensland’s vast road network.

“It won’t be a fleeting glimpse, the 1,200 kilometres we’re covering will take in isolated townships and key freight routes.

“The state government is making a significant investment in the roads which connect remote communities.

“This is an opportunity for the people of the North West to let the Minister know what they see as the priorities for the region’s roads,” she said.

Mr Lucas said $105 million would be spent over the next two years with subsidies of $6.7 million to help councils upgrade and maintain their roads.

Projects include:

·$12 million for continued widening of the Flinders Highway between Charters Towers and Cloncurry.

·$820,000 to upgrade rest areas on the Flinders Highway.

·$4 million to seal 12 kilometres of the Wills Developmental Rd in Burke Shire and upgrade the Doomadgee Intersection.

·$10 million to replace the Gilbert River Bridge on the Burke Developmental road, north-east of Normanton.

·$877,000 to upgrade road formation on the Gregory to Camooweal Rd.

"The Flinders Highway between Cloncurry and Townsville is a great example of what’s been done to improve road safety and to support the freight industry,” Mr Lucas said.

“Our investment in the Flinders Highway has been extensive.

“It’s the lifeblood of North Western Queensland and most of it is now eight metres wide with sealed shoulders.

"We’ve already fully opened the route to Type Two road trains, Higher Mass Limit vehicles and B-triples – it’s about the keeping economy moving.

“$1.16m has been invested in road-side stops and our commitment to the progressive upgrade of narrow bitumen and unsealed sections of road is ongoing.

"By the end of next month, we’ll finish sealing nine kilometres of the Wills Development Road South of Burketown between Running and Barkly Creek.

“It’s a $3.6 million dollar safety upgrade.

“By late 2007, a $28 million overhaul of the Burke Developmental Road from Normanton to Cloncurry will be complete twelve months ahead of schedule.

“Two thirds of the 180 km section of road was single lane, but the upgrade delivers a full two lane width with sealed shoulders.”

In Camooweal, Mr Lucas will meet with representatives of the Split Rock Inca Alliance – Seymour Whyte Constructions Pty Ltd and Myuma Pty Ltd, which represents the Indjilandji-Dhidhanu people.

"The Alliance built the last project in the federally-funded Barkly Highway upgrade which included some 36km of road and three new bridges at Inca and Wooroona Creeks.

"They’ve achieved outstanding results in developing local employment and training, as well as the management of cultural heritage.

"This project leaves a lasting legacy, not just in vastly improved infrastructure but also in human potential, with Myuma Pty Ltd now branching out into mining and construction contracts,” Mr Lucas said.

Media Contact: Darren Roberts 3237 1947 / 0448 184566.