Arduous task of repairing almost 5,000km of roads damaged in Queensland has begun
January 31, 2013
The arduous task of repairing almost 5,000km of state and local roads damaged by ex-Tropical Cyclone Oswald has begun.
But Queensland Transport Minister Scott Emerson says all impacted roads and bridges will need to undergo full safety assessment before they are reopened.
He says the repairs will also come on top of more than 689 projects that are still to be completed statewide following the damage caused by flooding in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
“This morning I saw first-hand the damage to the Bruce, Burnett and Capricorn highways near Rockhampton and I’m left with no doubt this will be a major recovery and then repair task,” Emerson says.
The Bruce Highway recently reopened and work is underway to reopen other major state roads including the Capricorn, Wide Bay, Burnett, Cunningham, Warrego and Mt Lindesay highways.
Transport and Main Roads engineers and technical staff are assessing damage to roads, culverts, drainage systems, bridges, signage, lighting, guardrails and marine infrastructure.