Coalition calls on Albanese to act on Bruce Highway commitments
2nd December, 2010
A group of LNP Federal Members of Parliament who represent communities along the Bruce Highway north of Cooroy, have met in Canberra to begin a new campaign to upgrade the road.Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, and Federal Member for Wide Bay, Warren Truss, Member for Hinkler Paul Neville, Member for Flynn Ken O’Dowd, Member for Dawson George Christensen, Member for Herbert Ewen Jones and Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch, all agreed that upgrading of the Highway must be accelerated.
“By working together we will pursue the Gillard and Bligh Labor Governments for a commitment to bring the Bruce Highway up to an acceptable standard,” Mr Truss said.
“While the Highway has been the subject of ongoing improvement over the decades, rapid traffic growth has left the Highway inadequate for current requirements.
“In my electorate alone there have been more than 50 fatalities and 300 people admitted to hospital since 2000 as a result of accidents along the dangerous Cooroy to Curra section of the Highway.”
The RACQ has found that the Cooroy to Curra section is the worst stretch of the National Highway in Queensland. In spite of its reputation as being a ‘killer highway’, the Rudd and Gillard Labor Governments have failed to commit to upgrading the remaining 50 kilometres to four lane standard.
“The time for blame and point scoring has long past, it’s time to get real and take action. The community knows it, the Government knows it and Mr Albanese knows it. The Government must get serious and announce a commitment to fund a full program of works to improve the safety and increase the capacity of the Highway,” Mr Truss said.
“Of 14 Bruce Highway construction projects committed since the election of the Rudd and Gillard Labor Governments, 10 have not even started. Maintenance and upkeep of the Highway has also fallen behind and the condition of the road has been made worse by wet weather.
At the last election, the Coalition announced a range of projects on the Bruce Highway, including the full upgrade of the Cooroy to Curra section by 2020; $20 million for the realignment of the southern entrance to Gin Gin ; immediate upgrading of the Calliope Crossover ; flood mitigation work for the Yeppen Plain bridges at Rockhampton; the Mackay Ring Road to link the Bruce and Peak Downs Highways with the town’s port; $40 million for flood mitigation works on the Bruce Highway at the Gairloch Floodway, north of Ingham; the realignment of the Bruce Highway on the north side of the Cardwell Range; and an examination of a second southern approach to Cairns. Refer attached table.
“The Government could make a good start by delivering these commitments.”
