The federal government has announced it is investing $45 million in bridge and road safety upgrades across regional and rural Australia, with the funding flowing to 19 high-priority projects.
More than $25 million of the funding will be shared by 14 projects under the Bridges Renewal Program (BRP), with the other $20 million supporting five projects under the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program (HVSPP).
From Clarence Valley in NSW to Queensland’s Gladstone and the Port of Hedland in WA, the federal government will partner with local councils to deliver projects in fast-growing communities that house major production hubs.
Under the BRP, which supports upgrades to old and worm timber bridges to make them modern structures that can take more weight and remain resilient in major weather events, more than $2.7 million will go into replacing Comobella Bridge over Mitchell’s Creek outside of Dubbo.
As part of these BRP projects, more than $1.8 million will also go towards the reconstruction and widening of Appila Spring Bridge in South Australia, while $1.6 million has been allocated to replace the culvert at Victoria’s Almurta Glen Forbes Road.
The HVSPP funding will help to improve key freight routes by installing intersections, widening and sealing roads and installing safety barriers.
Under this program, $5 million will help upgrade existing causeways at three locations at Queensland’s Malbon-Selwyn Road, with another $5 million to go towards the widening and reconstruction of Victoria’s Mount William Road.
A further $5 million will upgrade Route 1 of WA’s Wedgefield road network, including widening and sealing roughly 580m of road and installing precast box culverts to mitigate flooding.
“Without our truckies, Australia stops. That’s why we are investing in keeping them safe on our roads,” federal assistant transport minister Carol Brown says.
“Road safety is a shared responsibility. We all must do our part to ensure every road user gets home safely. We want to make our busiest freight routes safer for truckies and everyone using our roads.
“I am pleased to see another five projects come to life under the HVSPP, which will increase safety and reliability for the trucking industry across Australia while bolstering access through local rural communities.”