Member for Dalrymple Shane Knuth says years of lobbying for road upgrades have paid off in this week’s Queensland Government Budget.
Roads and bridges featured heavily on the agenda, with $76.9 million to upgrade the Gregory Development Road and Cape River Bridge.
Mr Knuth said $42.3 million would be committed over three years to upgrade the remaining single-lane section of the Gregory Development Road to dual-lane, creating an inland highway from the south right up to Mt Garnet.
“This is known as the Jack McEwen Beef Road, and the upgrade will spell huge benefits to the livestock industry, the trucking industry, the tourist industry, you name it,” Mr Knuth said.
Widening the Gregory Development Road would improve trucking routes and productivity, and open access to more travellers from large southern regions like Mackay and Rockhampton.
Mr Knuth said many people who travelled from Townsville to Charters Towers wanted to do the circuit and travel up the Lynd to the Hervey’s Range Heritage Tea Rooms.
“This upgrade will make that easier, encouraging more people to visit the wonderful city of Charters Towers and its surrounding communities,” he said.
The Budget also allocated $34.6 million over three years to replace and flood-proof Cape River Bridge on the Gregory Development Road, 116 kilometres south of Charters Towers.
Mr Knuth said many motorists avoided the route because the bridge became impassable during the wet season, leaving many people stranded.
The narrowness of the bridge had also caused many near-misses and earned it a reputation as a death trap among motorists.
The bridge replacement is expected to help relieve traffic congestion on the Bruce Highway, provide an alternative trucking route, and offer better tourist access.
“It will make travel much safer, and make it easier for tourists to visit and support our country towns.”
He said the $42.3 million allocation for the Gregory Development Road would widen and upgrade a 15-kilometre section 20 kilometres south of Greenvale, and the 17-kilometre stretch from Bluff Downs to the Hervey’s Range turnoff.
