Member for Burdekin, Dale Last MP, believes 2 recent announcements herald a far better future for the Bruce Highway and will provide numerous benefits for the people of the Burdekin.

According to Mr Last the announcements mean projects that have been stagnant can now be kicked into gear and that planning for upgrades can now begin in earnest due to increased funding.

“The re-introduction of funding for the Bruce Highway will see a return to normal levels, meaning maintenance projects for example, are no longer hamstrung by funding,” Mr Last said.  “The additional $9 Billion is purely about making the Bruce Highway safer, reducing travel time and improving flood resilience.”

“A mountain of work and negotiation was done to secure the additional funding from the federal government and is proof that Queenslanders deserve better than a second-class highway.  The return to the previous funding model was, I think, more political given there’s a federal election not far away and the federal opposition had already committed to that.”

“While some minor projects have been announced, there is a long list of improvements that are needed as anyone who frequently travels the Bruce Highway knows.  The Crisafulli state government’s Bruce Highway Advisory Council will play a major role in ensuring this funding produces the biggest bang for our buck possible.”

Mr Last said that he expected to see the Bruce Highway in the Burdekin area receive its fair share following his advocacy and support from the community.

“Both the Premier and the Minister for Transport are well aware of the issues we face locally with the Bruce Highway,” he said.  “We have one of the most dangerous sections of the Bruce to the south of Home Hill and we have Plantation Creek that is a closure hot-spot that causes immense problems locally and cuts the state in two.”

“The Premier was already aware of the issue because it is a problem I have highlighted numerous times but, during his recent visit, the Premier got to see the problem firsthand and hear directly from affected people.  That visit resulted in Premier Crisafulli flagging the need for flood-proofing at Plantation Creek as a priority, directly with the Prime Minister.”

“I would hope to see the new funding address both of those issues and there is a considerable amount of work currently underway to identify the best options that deliver the safety and resilience we need.  As a government we have committed to betterment and a big part of that is doing the background work.”

“In both of those areas we need to keep the existing road as functional as possible during works for transport of goods and freight both north and south.  As we have seen recently, you also need to ensure you have adequate drainage.”

“I’m committed to fixing the Bruce throughout the electorate and, now that we have the funding available, we can really get to work to deliver on that commitment.”