Details emerge on opening date and toll pricing
The cat is finally out of the bag on the commencement of Queensland’s Toowoomba Second Range Crossing, with its opening date and toll pricing unveiled today – and met with early optimism.
One of the state’s largest road infrastructure project is set for a September 8 opening, “transforming the national freight network in the Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley regions”, the federal government announced.
Federal Transport Minister Michael McCormack says the $1.6 billion infrastructure investment project would “significantly reduce travel times across the range and deliver a safer, more efficient connection to ports and markets”.
“Connecting the Warrego Highway at Helidon Spa in the east to the Gore Highway at Athol in the west, the new Toowoomba Second Range Crossing will form a vital strategic link within Australia’s National Freight Network and Toowoomba’s emerging intermodal network,” McCormack says.
The TSRC project has been many years in the making. Read more here
Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey adds: “The opening of the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing in September will be the moment that the decades of dedication and hard work from so many people to see this road built is finally achieved.
“Construction of the Second Range Crossing has already delivered huge economic benefits to Toowoomba and the Darling Downs.
“Those benefits will continue thanks to the freight efficiencies and improved road safety outcomes that come with the completion of this major project.”
TOLL LOBBY WIN
From the outset there had been conjecture about the toll structure and its effect on the road freight industry, with early rumours suggesting ranges beyond $40 per trip.
However, the Queensland Trucking Association (QTA), which had been lobbying for what it considered a reasonable rate of 52 cents per kilometre, revealed that Bailey had confirmed that figure – equating to a price of $22.85 per trip.
It will also be toll-free for the first three months.
“The announcement of the TSRC toll amount of $22.85 for heavy vehicles by Mark Bailey MP is an overwhelming win for the road freight industry and that will increase Queensland productivity,” the association tweeted.
“[CEO] Gary Mahon says the announcement of the TSRC toll prices is a huge win for the roadfreight industry and testament to the advocacy work our association has been doing on behalf of our members and the wider industry for the past two years.”