Warrego Highway upgrades shift into second phase
24 November 2017
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Contract awarded to continue $40 million safety upgrades between Oakey and Miles
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Project to improve safety through road widening and intersection upgrades
Australian Government: Toowoomba based construction
company
FK Gardner and Sons has secured the contract to build the second
phase of the $40 million Oakey to Miles safety project.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said
the project was part of the Australian Government's ongoing commitment
to improve
Queensland's
road network and reduce road trauma.
“The Australian Government is investing $32 million—and the
Queensland
Government $8 million—in the upgrades being done between Oakey and
Miles, as part of our broader commitment to improving the state's road
network and reducing road trauma,” Mr Chester said.
“The works are a critical part of the $635 million
Warrego Highway
Upgrade Program, which is gaining momentum and helping improve driver
safety by building wider roads, new turning lanes and better signage.”
Federal Member for Groom John McVeigh said work on the suite of
short-term projects was expected to start in coming weeks and take about
nine months to complete.
“These works will consist of various road treatments, which will improve
safety on one of the busiest sections of the Warrego Highway, west of
Toowoomba. This stretch of the highway is heavily used by road trains
and other heavy vehicles, which share the road with local and visiting
motorists,” Dr McVeigh said.
Federal Member for Maranoa David Littleproud said the upgrades came
after careful consideration and assessment of road crash history, crash
likelihood and severity, as well as motorist feedback.
“To ensure all drivers have a safer trip, we will be upgrading five
intersections in high-speed rural areas to the west of Toowoomba,
including Devon Park Road, Bowenville-Norwin Road, Newton-Stephens Road,
Macalister-Bell Road and Brownlies Road,” Mr Littleproud said.
“The Station Street intersection in the town of Jondaryan will also be
upgraded and there will be some widening of sections of road near
Brigalow. Minor safety works will also be undertaken, including removing
or trimming trees within the clear zone, installing signs, repairing
edge drops and flattening steep road slopes.”
The $635 million WHUP is a package of 15 projects on the Warrego
Highway, between Toowoomba and Miles and is jointly funded by the
Australian and Queensland governments on an 80:20 funding split.
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Source: Australian Government - www.minister.infrastructure.gov.au
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