Gold Coast traffic: Hinterland residents demand Beechmont Road widening

Gold Coast Hinterland residents want a notorious stretch of road widened immediately after traffic was blocked for six hours yesterday for the third time this year.

HINTERLAND residents want a notorious stretch of road widened immediately after traffic was blocked for six hours yesterday for the third time in six months.

The back tyres of a truck carrying a 10m-long, 6m-wide church slid off the road at the sharp intersection at North and Beechmont roads, Lower Beechmont, about 5.10am.

It took workers about an hour and a half to get the oversized vehicle back on the road, only for it to stop again minutes later when it collected a powerline.

The church was being relocated from Dalby to an address on Beechmont Rd.

The church on the back of the tow truck was being moved from Dalby to a Lower Beechmont property. Photo: Emily Halloran

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There are only two roads which can be taken to and from Lower Beechmont – Beechmont Rd and Nerang Murwillumbah Rd. Both of them are state funded.

Motorists stuck behind the truck yesterday were told to take Nerang Murwillumbah Rd, putting an extra 40 minutes on their travel time to the Gold Coast.

Greg McKenzie, whose family has owned a dairy farm off Beechmont Rd for the past 130 years, said residents had been lobbying the State Government to upgrade the section of road between Elimbah and Jardine Courts for a decade.

He said he had written 50-60 letters to the Government as part of the Better Roads for Beechmont group, but they “tell us it’s very hard to fix”.

He said there had been a number of accidents on the road in the past year alone, involving motorbike riders and heavy machinery tipping off the side of the road.

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The truck carrying the church which got stuck at the section at Beechmont Road. Picture: Facebook - Beechmont Community Network

The road was blocked for six hours. Picture: Facebook - Beechmont Community Network

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“That particular corner is not wide enough,” Mr McKenzie said. “There is a drop off on both sides of the road. It was only three or four months ago a drilling rig was stuck there for about 24 hours.

“When you talk to Main Roads they tell us it’s very hard to fix and what they would do was to make it one lane and have a set of lights where you would have to stop. The locals aren’t impressed with that.”

The Transtate Homes truck driver relocating the church said he did the slow commute through the area regularly. Beechmont Road was the only road Transport and Main Roads would allow them to take, he said.

A Transport and Main Rains spokesman couldn’t answer when the road was last evaluated or future plans for that particular section.

A car which plunged down the side of a cliff on Beechmont road, Advance Town in 2016. Picture: Scott Fletcher

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“TMR has restrictions for oversized vehicles travelling on Beechmont Road which require a permit prior to travel.”

“The vehicle met permit requirements and we are investigating the implications of this for future wide load access to Lower Beechmont via Beechmont Road.

“The Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program (QTRIP) 2019-20 to 2022-23 includes the following investments for Beechmont Road: $3.5 million improvement at Nerang — Murwillumbah Road and Beechmont Road intersection (expected delivery 2020-21); $2.624 million road rehabilitation between 3.25-4.81km (expected delivery 2019-20); $3.545 million replacement of Sharp Bridge (expected delivery 2019-20); $3.202 million replacement of Back Creek Bridge (expected delivery 2019-20).”

An excavator which was trapped Beechmont Road, Lower Beechmont several months ago. Photo: Facebook - Better Roads for Beechmont

Member for Mudgeeraba Ros Bates said she had been working with those involved with Better Roads for Beechmont and pushing for Transport Minister Mark Bailey to fix the road.

“Beechmont Rd has had nearly $16 million spent on it since I’ve been a member,” she said.

“That’s the only section which is not wide enough to paint a white line through the middle. It needs to be widened.

“Unfortunately, it will happen like it happened in Lower Beechmont before. It will take fatalities for the State Government to take any notice.”

Ms Bates estimated 1km of the road would cost $12 million to fix.