From the Atherton Tablelands to south of Stanthorpe, the state’s road network plays a significant factor in the cost of transporting fruit and vegetables to domestic and export markets.
Historically, investment in road freight has focused on the Bruce Highway but relying on a single coastal link brings challenging issues such as: heavy congestion, limits on freight efficient vehicles and inaccessibility in severe weather events.
Growcom has been impressed by the collaborative group consisting of 33 local governments, eight regional roads and transport groups, four Regional Development Australia (RDA) committees, the North Queensland RDA Alliance and RACQ.
They have set a common goal to improve the inland road network to improve productivity and drive economic and job growth. The Alliance has developed the Inland Queensland Roads Action Plan (IQ-RAP) which identifies and prioritises upgrades on the inland road network of Queensland.
The plan has identified that more than 3000 kilometres and more than 300 bridges in rural and regional Queensland require “fit for purpose” standards over the next 18 years. The investment required to deliver the plan is $5 billion.
That is roughly equal to about four per cent of the annual Department of Transport and Main Roads budget.
The upgrade will improve resilience and connectivity for the efficient delivery of goods, such as fruit and vegetables, the delivery of service to communities and improve productivity for industries and businesses along the supply chains.
It will also help attract new investment into rural and regional areas.
The IQ-RAP is not just about improving the road network. It is also about connecting communities and creating more jobs in rural and regional areas, which in turn helps these communities to retain vital skill sets.
- Visit http://rdanwq.org.au/iq-rap or contact the Secretariat Glenys Schuntner at ceo@rdanwq.org.au or on 07 4410 3655.
