Frustration at state of roads

WITH many roads across the region in disrepair, the Lockyer Valley Regional Council has blasted the Department of Transport and Main Roads for its inaction.

THE Lockyer Valley Regional Council is sick of taking the flack for the Department of Transport and Main Roads' inaction.

With many roads across the region still in various states of disrepair the council blasted the department at Tuesday's LVRC meeting.

Lockyer Valley mayor Steve Jones said a number of state controlled local roads remain “unroadworthy”.

“The roads here are what you'd expect around Boulia,” he said.

“It's a disgrace.”

Cr Jones said despite the region's major thoroughfares being state roads the council was on the receiving end of community backlash.

“Most people don't know the difference between a state road and a council road so they blame us for the state of them.”

Cr Jones said with the amount of money motorists who drive in the region pay in registration fees the State Government should not be leaving the region with roads in their current state.

Council received $550,000 from the State Government for road maintenance in the 2011/2012 period.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transport and Main Roads said flooding to the Lockyer and Ipswich road network had caused significant damage.

“As a result of flood events in January 2011, more than 100km of the road network throughout the Lockyer Valley and Ipswich regions were damaged in some way,” he said.

“Under Operation Queenslander, the largest reconstruction effort in the state's history, $478 million has been invested in the Lockyer Valley and Ipswich region roads.”

Originally published as Frustration at state of roads