Somerset Council has put forward a $6.5m proposal for crucial bushfire evacuation route upgrades in and out of the region

Raging fires threatened Somerset towns in 2019, pushing councillors to initiate a proposal to improve evacuation routes in the region.

Views of the Esk Bushfire from main street in 2019 when bushfires threatened the small Somerset town.

Somerset Regional Council will propose a $6.5 million bushfire resilience program for joint funding, in a bid to upgrade major roads in the region for improved safety.

The funding, under the Australian Government’s Black summer Bushfire Recovery Grants program, would allow for upgrades on two crucial roads leading in and out of the region.

Mayor Graeme Lehmann said since the 2019 bushfires, when two towns were forced to evacuate, the council had been reviewing the adequacy of its evacuation routes and additional ways of reducing bushfire risks.

“These include upgrading major local roads like Esk-Crows Nest Road and Lowood-Minden Road, for which we are grateful to have received Australian Government and Queensland Government funding support,” Cr Lehmann said.

One of the higher bushfire risk areas identified is near Muckerts Lane and McCulkins Lane in Fernvale.

Rural Fire Brigade coordination committee representative Jason Wendt said there were 267 homes in the southern-most section of Honeywood Estate in Fernvale, immediately adjacent to a designated High Potential Bushfire Intensity area.

Cr Wendt said council proposed widening and sealing Muckerts and McCulkins lanes to create a significant firebreak along the southern boundary of the Fernvale urban footprint, and improve emergency access to and from the Fernvale and Lowood areas.

The council is not proposing to connect Muckerts and McCulkins lanes at this stage, with the connecting section to remain closed to traffic other than fire appliances.

The submission will however include running power lines underground through the area immediately south of Shadywood Drive, and maintaining a fire break and emergency service access through this area to reduce risk.

“We are very grateful to the Australian Government for favourably considering funding submissions from council over the past year, including for major infrastructure projects that will significantly increase the safety of local residents,” Cr Wendt said.

“We are looking for similar strong support with this major project, including strong written support from local residents and businesses for our submission.

“You only have to look at what’s happening in the US and Canada at the moment to be reminded of what it was like here in 2019 and the need to improve bushfire safety in Somerset,” Cr Wendt said.