Why Shute Harbour Rd flood upgrades delayed in Whitsundays

A multimillion upgrade of a crucial Whitsundays road connecting the school, hospital, and business district has been left in limbo, despite extreme and regular flooding, leaving towns isolated. Hear why.

Cars navigate Hamilton Plains on Shute Harbour Rd after it became officially closed to traffic because of flooding.

A multimillion upgrade of an arterial road connecting Proserpine to Airlie Beach has been indefinitely delayed.

It is understood the $25m of flood immunity works to a 1.5km section of Shute Harbour Rd at Hamilton Plains were scheduled to begin mid-year.

But even the mid-2024 start was a delay considering then Transport Minister Mark Bailey told Mirani MP Stephen Andrew almost four years ago that the Hamilton Plains upgrade was “programmed” for the latter years of the government’s 2019-20 to 2022-23 roads investment program.

Now, there is no timeline for the important Whitsundays’ project as the Department of Transport and Main Roads updated its website to state the upgrade was “subject to further planning, consideration and negotiation with the Australian government”.

Former Transport and Roads Minister Mark Bailey met with Road Tek crew members (from left) Tyrone Russo, Chris Field, Andrew McGlashan, Ron Kirk and Red Tessmer along the Bruce Highway north of Mackay in January 2023 to inspect damage following a rainfall event which shut the highway for days. Picture: Heidi Petith

Whitsunday Regional Council mayor Ry Collins said the “problematic” Shute Harbour Rd works had “been kicked around like a proverbial political football” for years.

‘Significant disruptions’ to continue until more money is found

Mr Collins said he understood it had gone out to tender but now the state government needed more money from the federal government.

He said council was not informed of the delays, as far as he was aware, but he was motivated to improve communication lines when he met with current Transport Minister Bart Mellish in June.

Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Ry Collins says it is disappointing the Shute Harbour Rd upgrades have been delayed. Picture: Fiona Kroll

Mr Collins said the regular wet season flooding of Shute Harbour Rd caused “significant disruptions” as Proserpine was disconnected from the coastal towns of Airlie Beach, Cannonvale and Shute Harbour affecting access to work, schools and the hospital.

He said it also affected tourism with Whitsunday Coast Airport welcoming a record number of travellers who then could not access their destinations with the only detour via Gregory River Rd also subject to flooding.

Whitsunday Regional Council flood cams captured a council team doing emergency repairs to Shute Harbour Rd at Hamilton Plains after heavy rain and flooding caused potholes.

A Transport and Main Roads spokeswoman said the Hamilton Plains flood immunity upgrade - funded 80:20 by the federal and state governments as part of the Roads of Strategic Importance program - was in the procurement phase.

“In the interim, we are progressing with pre construction activities,” the spokeswoman said.

She said the upgrade would move forward subject to further planning, consideration and negotiation with the federal government following its independent review of the Infrastructure Investment Program which had affected Queensland road projects.

Main Roads says it will keep community updated

“Engagement with key stakeholders, including impacted property owners and Whitsunday Regional Council, has been ongoing and we will continue to update stakeholders and the broader community as the project progresses,” the spokeswoman said.

Drone images of flooding at Goorganga Plains, just south of Proserpine, in January, 2022, which shut the Bruce Highway to motorists for days. Photos: Robert Murolo

Mr Collins said the council was also waiting to receive an update on the flood immunity upgrades to the Bruce Highway at Goorganga Plains, which in January 2022 was shut to motorists for days.

$15m study on fixing the Bruce but still no answers

The Transport and Main Roads spokeswoman said the $15 business case study, which was completed in mid-2023, identified land requirements to upgrade the Bruce at the Goorganga and Myrtle Creek flood plains either side of Proserpine.

Mr Bailey, in a visit to the region in the weeks following the 2022 flood event, would not answer whether North Queenslanders could expect Goorganga to be fixed in five, 10, 15 or 20 years from now, saying it depended on the business case.

The Daily Mercury asked Main Roads what were the results of the business case to be told by the spokeswoman: “Further details about the project scope and recommended delivery options will be confirmed as the project progresses.”