The Bruce Highway is the most important road in our region, it serves as the major north-south freight and commuter corridor, connecting various coastal population centres from Brisbane to Cairns over a total length of 1,673km.
For numerous years, the Bruce Highway has been in dire need of repairs and funding. Last week, the government announced that $9 billion will be funded for the Bruce Highway, $7.2 billion from the federal government and $1.8 billion from state funding.
The Ingham to Innisfail stretch of the Bruce Highway has been identified as a key funding hot spot, and Nick Dametto, MP Member for Hinchinbrook, is thrilled.
“We are all very excited to see not only the Albanese government but the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, make a commitment of $7.2 billion to improvements along the Bruce Highway,” said Mr Dametto.
“We are particularly interested in the section between Ingham and Innisfail. It is probably one of the most treacherous parts of the Bruce Highway with a number of narrow bridges, narrow sections of the highway, and also a number of floodplains.
“To see that money allocated to the Bruce is great.”
Nick Dametto and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter have petitioned for improvements in the area for some time and are happy that funding will occur.
“Bruce Highway is the lifeblood of Queensland. Nothing goes up and down the coast without it, and this section of the Bruce Highway is particularly prone to flooding, especially in that wet season era,” said Mr Dametto.
“That means during those times where not only can we not get our produce out of North Queensland, but we can't get product into North Queensland.
“It is vitally important to keep the Bruce hallway open as much as possible.
“When it comes to safety improvements, there have been a number of treacherous accidents that have claimed lives and a number of near misses.
“Improving, by not only widening of the Bruce Highway, adding overtaking lanes and also the flood mitigation, will be beneficial to all that live and use the highway on a daily basis, but also those trucking in our transport companies.”
Hinchinbrook Shire Council Mayor Ramon Jayo has identified some areas along the Bruce Highway that he hopes will receive funding.
“The main concern is floodproofing; the section of road through Seymour River and Arnot Creek is also very narrow, and there have been quite a number of traffic accidents there in our jurisdiction,” said Mayor Jayo.
“If once the road does get fixed up for flooding, it will obviously be built to the new current standards and the new current standards do take into account the width of the road for safety purposes.”
Mayor Jayo also said the Bruce Highway is vital to our region's tourism sector.
“A lot of industries travel on that road and a lot of tourism activity. If we don't have good road systems, we don't have good connectivity, then we can't grow our industry, and we can't grow our tourism.
“It all relates back to being able to provide products in a timely and proper manner.
“It is about growing the north and giving us the facilities up here that the south has been using for quite some time.”
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