Fatal crashes in Bundaberg prompt $4m road safety upgrades
More than $4 million is being spent to fix six high-risk intersections across the Bundaberg region as the Wide Bay Burnett continues to grapple with the highest road toll in Queensland.
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Six high-priority projects are getting upgrades worth millions of dollars in a major win for road safety across the region.
More than $4 million has been allocated across the region to address known crash sites and enhance safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, Bundaberg Regional Council announced Thursday.
The funding has been provided under the federal government’s 2025–26 Black Spot Program.
The announcement comes amid growing concern over a string of fatal crashes on Bundaberg roads this year.
On April 29, 34-year-old cyclist Matty Nilsen was fatally struck in a hit-and-run on Takalvan Street in Millbank.
Just three days earlier a 50-year-old Bucca man, Marcus Hayworth, died after a crash between his motorcycle and a ute on the Burnett River Bridge near South Bingera.
On January 1 a 55-year-old man was killed when his car veered off the road and hit a culvert at Dalysford, about 45 minutes west of Bundaberg.
In total there had been 89 lives lost on Queensland roads as of early May.
Wide Bay roads have also been dubbed the most dangerous.
Projects to receive funding include safety upgrades at intersections throughout Bundaberg Central, Norville and Walkervale.
Works include new traffic signals, raised pedestrian crossings, footpath extensions, upgraded lighting and reconfigured intersections designed to improve visibility and reduce risk.
Mayor Helen Blackburn said the region’s Black Spot funding success was one of the highest in Queensland, both in terms of application success rate and total funding secured in recent years.
“We’re incredibly proud to continue our extremely high success rate in Black Spot funding applications,” she said.
“These upgrades are targeted, data-driven responses to areas with a history of crashes.
The improvements are funded under the 2025–26 program will make some of Bundaberg’s most problematic intersections significantly safer for all road users, she said.
“Securing this funding means Council can deliver these important safety improvements without placing additional strain on our budget – and that’s a win for our community.”
The Black Spot Program targets dangerous road locations where serious crashes have occurred or are at risk of occurring.
The Australian Government funds treatments such as traffic signals and roundabouts in an effort to reduce serious injuries and deaths on the roads.
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Originally published as Fatal crashes in Bundaberg prompt $4m road safety upgrades
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