RACQ concerned Bruce Highway will be left broken following Federal Government infrastructure cuts
The State’s peak motoring group is calling on the Federal Government to reverse its decision to reduce its funding spilt with the State Government to 50/50 for new regional infrastructure projects.
General Manager Advocacy Joshua Cooney said the Club and its members were particularly concerned about funding for the Bruce Highway.
“At a time when we’re seeing incredible population growth, more interstate road-based tourism and preparing for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Queensland needs more investment, not less,” Mr Cooney said.
“We’re still examining the detail, but to us right now, this decision smacks of the Federal Government passing the buck to the State Government and disadvantaging regional Queenslanders.
“Our members and motorists across the board feel the inadequacies of the Bruce Highway every single day.
“The highway is the backbone of our State, it’s a critical piece of infrastructure that not only requires urgent upgrades already in the pipeline, but also ongoing upgrades and maintenance well into the future.”
By 2046 around 7.3 million people are projected to call Queensland home, putting even greater pressure on the highway.
“We cannot afford to take the foot off the funding pedal for this road during this critical growth period,” Mr Cooney said.
“Recently released AusRAP data confirms what our members have been telling us for years; the Bruce Highway is dangerous and needs fixing immediately.
“If the Federal Government follows through with its decision to reduce its funding spilt to 50% for new regional infrastructure projects, it will force the State Government to pick and choose between future upgrades, leading to consequences for our communities, economy, road safety and natural disaster resilience.
“The Federal Government says it inherited an impossible infrastructure program and we understand the need for hard decisions, but that shouldn’t come at the expense of one of the fastest growing states. Queensland is the last place in Australia where funding should be cut.”