The Queensland Government says it will include the findings of the RACQ roads assessment report released today when it plans
The Queensland Government says it will include the findings of the RACQ roads assessment report released today when it plans road upgrades.
Main Roads Minister Warren Pitt says the safety concerns expressed in the report is a valuable perspective on the state of Queensland’s roads.
The report’s author, RACQ traffic and safety manager John Wikman, says there are nine roads which must be urgently improved because of their high risk crash ratings.
The areas listed included the Brisbane Valley Highway from Ipswich to Esk, the Bruce Highway from Cooroy to Gympie and the D’Aguilar and New England highways.
According to Piit, the Government is placing a high priority on road safety and is working to carry out necessary improvements and upgrades.
“There is currently an extensive program of works in place, such as the Safer Roads Sooner initiative and projects as part of the Main Roads capital works program, to improve safety on Queensland’s road network,” he says.
“The Main Roads Department already is working with the RACQ and other stakeholders to improve Queensland’s roads. “
He says this commitment is exemplified by the $54 million program of works announced last month as part of the Safer Roads Sooner Initiative.
“In total, 90 new high-priority projects across Queensland were approved by the Safer Roads Sooner advisory committee, which includes representation from the RACQ.,” Pitt says.
“Main Roads will work with the RACQ, not just to address the roads listed in the report, but to consider the safety needs across the entire roads network.”
Pitt says the Government has already completed work on some of the roads listed in RACQ’s report. Furthermore, according to Pitt, the Government is commencing or in the process of planning other roads Wikman cited as high risk.
This includes a $70.8 million duplication of the Bruce Highway to four lanes through Gympie, as well as overtaking lanes to the south of Gympie and an upgrade of the Black Mountain Road/Pioneer Road intersection.
This is to be followed by a planning study for the Cooroy to Curra stretch of the Bruce Highway due to be released shortly.
There are other safety-related projects, such as the one on the Brisbane Valley Highway from Ipswich to Esk, the Captain Cook Highway and D’Aguilar and Gillies highways.
The Government is also rolling out a 1km stretch of guard rails on the Kuranda Range section of the Kennedy Highway, complementing currently completed intersection improvements at Atherton.