A division of the Liberal Party of Australia
TRAFFIC STALLS WHILE BEATTIE SNORES
23 August, 2006
Sign Up for free e-mail updates!
North Queensland based Senator Ian Macdonald has pleaded with the Queensland State Government to provide plans and costings for an upgrade of the Mt Low Parkway intersection which they had initially promised to have completed this year.
Senator Macdonald said he could not understand why there was a delay in the simple task, and the Commonwealth stood ready to fund the work once Main Roads provided costings.
“In the last federal budget the Australian Government allocated $220 million for major upgrades of the Bruce Highway between Townsville and Cairns,” Senator Macdonald said.
“What we are now waiting for is the State Government to provide design and costing work.
“I have been supporting the Thuringowa City Council, who have been fighting for this for a very long time. In June this year, I arranged for Mayor Les Tyrell to fly to Canberra to meet with the Roads Minister to ensure federal funding for an upgrade was available. The money is on the table and we are now waiting for a green light from Main Roads.
“The frustrating thing, is that we have to rely on the Queensland Government to provide the design and costing work, and then to actually carry out the construction. The Commonwealth Government does not control trucks and road workers. All road works, even those on ‘national’ roads, are carried out by the States.
“The Commonwealth Government has committed the funding, the money is in the kitty and ready to go. The only reason the Mt Low Parkway intersection has not been upgraded, is because the State Government has failed to take action.”
Then on ABC Radio on 14 June Thuringowa MP Craig Wallace assured listeners that the plans would be ready “in September 2006”
Earlier this year, we were told the design and costing work would be completed by the end of the year. Then in July, the Department of Main Roads issued new advice that they would not even commence design work until the start of 2007, with actual works not to begin until mid to late 2008.
“The City Council has done the lobbying, the Federal Government has promised the funding, and we are all watching terrible accidents happen, while the State Government sits on its hands.”