Bruce Highway upgrades needed

Dear Editor,

People who live in Wide Bay and beyond understand how important the Bruce Highway is to our region.

On 14 September 2016, I raised the significance of the Cooroy to Curra Section D project, as well as the need to upgrade the highway through Wide Bay, in my first speech to the Parliament and I am continuing to press the need for projects to improve the safety and capacity of the highway with Transport Minister Darren Chester.

The number of vehicles on the highway through Gympie has already reached 25,000 per day and is forecast to grow at 3% – and 3.5% for heavy vehicles.  We need work to start on the Section D project to prevent accidents and stop Gympie from becoming choked by traffic in the years ahead.

While increasing capacity on the Sunshine Coast section is welcome and will benefit people travelling between Wide Bay and Brisbane; saving lives on the highway is paramount. 

An $18.3 million package of road safety works near Tiaro, as well as $11.2 million to fix the intersection of the Bruce Highway and Wide Bay Highway at Bells Bridge have already been announced – but further upgrades are needed on the highway between Gympie and Maryborough.  I have also called for a thorough safety review of the intersection at the new Gunalda service station.

I stand shoulder to shoulder with local media, the community, and road safety advocates to keep pressure on Federal and State Governments, LNP and Labor, to achieve these projects that are so important for our region, our state and our nation, and will protect lives on the highway.

Yours sincerely

Llew O’Brien

Federal Member for Wide Bay