The arrival of road crews on site at Clermont-Alpha Road, about 89 kilometres north of Alpha in the Barcaldine region of Queensland, is being hailed as an important first step on a 10-year mission to improve beef roads in the State.
The Australian and Queensland Government have allocated a total of $500 million to the Queensland Beef Roads program targeted at upgrading and sealing critical transport routes used to bring cattle to market.
The $47.5 million early works package begins with sealing a priority section of Clermont–Alpha Road and forms part of the Central Queensland Beef Roads Investment Strategy (CQBRIS), which has been developed in partnership with seven regional councils forming the Queensland Beef Corridors (QBC) group, industry, and both levels of government.
The priority is to seal nine key beef cattle corridor roads to help strengthen supply chains, reduce costs, and support economic growth across Central Queensland.
It is backed by $400 million from the Australian Government and $100 million from the Queensland Government.
Other priorities in the early works package include widening, sealing and floodway upgrades to sections of Alpha–Tambo Road, Fitzroy Developmental Road between Bauhinia and Duaringa, and on May Downs Road.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Catherine King says the works would support Queensland’s world class beef cattle industry.
“Our government has committed $400 million to the Central Queensland Beef Roads and we welcome this investment strategy which considers short, medium and long-term priorities to fully seal nine unsealed roads,” King says.
“This first project marks a significant milestone in the upgrades of the beef road network, which is good for our nation’s freight productivity, good for Central Queenslanders, and good for our truckies who use these roads every day.”
Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg says the Central Queensland Beef Corridor road networks are critical routes for cattle freight.
“These roads stretch around 218,000 square kilometres, which is an area about the same size as Great Britain,” Mickelberg says.
“Managing a road network of this magnitude is challenging but critically important to support the movement of about $1.7 billion in freight and agricultural produce – primarily Australian beef – each year.
“The sealing of these strategic beef corridor roads will improve the cattle supply chain in the region from our primary producers to saleyards, processing facilities and onto plates both here and overseas.