Huge spend on safety improvements to impact operations
Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) is undertaking a $635 million program of works to improve safety and freight efficiency on the Warrego Highway.
From west of Toowoomba to west of Miles, the projects form the Warrego Highway Upgrade Program (WHUP) and are expected to be completed by mid-2019.
“WHUP worksites feature reduced traffic speeds, temporary line marking and reduced lane widths,” TMR says.
“TMR appreciates that efficient travel times are vital to the haulage and trucking industry. To assist in managing traffic movements, construction teams require 24 hours’ notice of any oversize and/or over mass loads wishing to travel through the sites. Failure to do so may result in lengthy delays for operators.”
Projects currently under construction or set to begin in the coming months as part of WHUP include:
- Oakey to Miles Safety Upgrade; construction includes the upgrade of six intersections, widening existing roads east and west of Brigalow and the removal of roadside hazards such as trees, edge drops, batter slopes and culvert drops. Phone: 1300 256 773 (FK Gardner & Sons).
- Dalby Eastern and Dalby Western Access Upgrade; construction includes creating a four-lane highway through Dalby with additional turning lanes, traffic signals, and a centre median street through the town. In the western end of the project the Warrego Highway will be realigned south of the existing highway, which is set to become a service road to access commercial property in the industrial estate. Phone: 0459 864 343 (FKG McIlwain Joint Venture).
- Dalby to Miles Overtaking Lanes; construction includes the creation of seven overtaking lanes (four westbound and three eastbound) at regular intervals between Dalby and Miles. Phone: 0448 560 357 or 0412 394 027 (Downer).
- Miles Western Access Upgrade; construction includes the reconfiguration of two major intersections at Miles, where the Warrego Highway meets the Leichhardt Highway (north) and the Leichhardt Highway (south), as well as improvements to the Tully Street intersection, motorist and heavy vehicle truck stops, and approx. 1.7km of the Warrego Highway through the town. Phone: 1300 256 773 (FK Gardner & Sons).
- Chinchilla Open Level Rail Crossing Upgrade; construction includes upgrading the Queensland Rail open level crossing at the Warrego Highway and Wambo Street intersection in Chinchilla with dedicated turning lanes, emergency vehicle access and railway boom gates. Construction is expected to begin in June 2018.
- Drillham to Jackson (Palardo) Upgrade; construction includes the widening of identified narrow sections of the Warrego Highway between west of the Wallan Creek Road intersection and the Palardo turnoff. Construction is expected to begin in this month.
Regular notifications on reduced traffic movements and disruptions are available through the QLDTraffic website at https://qldtraffic.qld.gov.au/, or through the free QLDTraffic app. For current site-specific conditions, please run TMR’s General Condition Report (via the Business and industry tab / More about heavy vehicles link / Excess mass and dimension operations link / Excess mass and dimension conditions page link / Conditions of operation database link ) on the TMR website at www.tmr.qld.gov.au.
Construction end dates for each project vary. For more information or to see design layouts of each project, visit the TMR website at www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Featured-projects/Warrego-Highway-Upgrade-Program