Stephen Bennett, Llew O’Brien, Keith Pitt, Deb Frecklington on Wide Bay Burnett roads

Despite a shocking road toll, dangerous roads like the Bruce Hwy from Gympie to Maryborough, the Isis Hwy, Rosedale Rd, Tin Can Bay Road and Mary Valley Hwy continue to miss out on the serious upgrades they desperately need.

Wide Bay roads are costing lives and money as families suffer tragic losses and businesses lose money to repair their vehicles.

News Corp mastheads across the Wide Bay and Burnett have campaigned this month for more money and action to address multiple safety issues on busy rural roads, still awaiting repairs after the February 2022 floods, or failing to keep up with the demands of a rapidly growing population.

47 worst roads of Wide Bay Burnett as voted on Facebook

State and federal MPs across the entire region were invited to join the conversation about what needs to happen and what roads across the Wide Bay Burnett need the most immediate attention.

Some, like Labor MP for Bundaberg Tom Smith, declined to join the conversation.

Tragic losses suffered by families

LNP Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett has listed two rural roads he says have been forgotten.

Burnett MP Stephen Bennett

State Member for Burnett Stephen Bennett highlighted two roads he believes are long overdue for attention.

“For years the community and I have been fighting for overtaking lanes, safe pull-over areas, and upgrades to dangerous intersections on the Isis Highway and Rosedale Road (Bundaberg-Miriam Vale Rd),” he said.

“We have already seen far too many families ripped apart by tragedies that have occurred on these roads.

“Crashes are preventable, and the State Government has a role to play to stop these tragedies from happening.”

Mr Bennett said despite pledges of millions on the region’s roads, safety had not been factored in enough.

“I have written to the transport minister numerous times, spoke on these issues in Parliament, asked many questions on notice, held community forums, held a community rally; but the message is still falling on deaf ears,” he said.

“The Isis Hwy and Rosedale Road see enormous traffic movements each day – they are the major thoroughfares in and out of the region which is why they need to be maintained and upgraded appropriately.

“While I acknowledge the $42.5 million dollar commitment to the Isis Hwy in 2020, the community and I remain disappointed with the result.

“The road needs of overtaking lanes and safe pull-over areas, none of which were included in the works.”

Mr Bennett said that “despite countless calls for assistance for Rosedale Road” there had so far been no action.

“There is a litany of problems with Rosedale Road and traffic movements are expected to increase,” he said.

“The region was promised an upgrade to the dangerous Winfield Road intersection in 2020 – three years on and the design is still yet to be finalised.

“These two primary roads are in desperate need of repairs and upgrades.”

Wide Bay Federal LNP MP Llew O'Brien says the Bruce Highway is the most dangerous section of road in the Wide Bay.

Wide Bay MP Llew O’Brien

“The Bruce Highway from Gympie to Maryborough is undoubtedly the most dangerous section of road in (the) Wide Bay,” Wide Bay MP Llew O’Brien said.

“Our communities have been touched too many times by the horror of crashes causing serious injuries and fatalities along this stretch. In my previous career in policing, I saw the damage inflicted by tragic crashes to families, friends, and communities, and ever since I was elected to Parliament, I have fought for the highway to be four lanes, first with the Gympie bypass, then with the Tiaro bypass.

“We need clarity from the State Government as to when the four lane Tiaro bypass will be open to traffic. With around 11,000 vehicles on the highway moving between Gympie and Maryborough every day, this is a vital project that needs to be built as soon as possible.

“Indeed, with those traffic volumes, if our section of the national highway was in New South Wales or Victoria it would already be four lanes.”

Mr O’Brien said four laning the Bruce Highway through the Wide Bay with a concrete barrier between opposing directions would give everyone the safest possible chance of getting to their destination.

“The Queensland Government must plan now for four lanes from the northern end of the Gympie bypass at Curra to Tiaro, and from Tiaro on to Maryborough and beyond,” he said.

“The longer it takes to achieve this the more it will cost taxpayers, and the longer lives will continue to be at risk on this dangerous section of the Bruce Highway.”

LNP Member for Hinkler Keith Pitt. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Hinkler MP Keith Pitt

Significant funding has been invested in safety upgrades to roads and intersections across the Hinkler electorate, according to Hinkler MP Keith Pitt.

“Since 2013 the 89km stretch of the Bruce Highway that runs through Hinkler has received $153 million in improvements,” he said.

“The Hinkler Regional Deal included significant upgrades some of which are underway now: Torbanlea-Pialba Road floodproofing and the Boundary Road extension in Hervey Bay.

“As highlighted during the 2022 Federal Election, the Bundaberg North Evacuation Route is my priority for the region to provide a safe evacuation path for around 10,000 residents in the event of another flood.”

Road Rage Wide Bay Burnett campaign 2023

Mr Pitt further highlighted the frustration of funding road repairs between the tiers of government.

“Up to $60 million was committed by the Coalition Government and I encourage both Federal and State Labor Government’s to fund this project and get it started as soon as possible,” he said.

“Other upgrades I have had raised with me include widening the Elliott River Bridge and upgrading the Boat Harbour Drive and Main Street intersection in Hervey Bay.

“One frustration with road improvement projects is the Federal Government commits 80 per cent of the funding but it’s the responsibility of the Queensland State Labor Government to prioritise delivery and determine the works schedule.

“Take the upgrade of the Hervey Bay-Maryborough Road and Burrum Heads-Pialba intersection.

“The Coalition Government committed $35.3 million in the 2021 Budget and it has not started.

“Neither has the Quay Street de-maining, the Buxton Road intersection upgrade on the Bruce Highway and the upgrade of Bargara Road/Princess Street – all Hinkler Regional Deal projects and all being held up by the Queensland State Labor Government.”

Mr Pitt encouraged locals to go online to report black spots in their regions.

LNP Nanango MP Deb Frecklington is calling on the state not to ignore her electorate’s high road death toll. Picture: Kiel Egging.

Nanango MP Deb Frecklington

LNP Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington says the latest RACQ road fatality statistics, which show Nanango electorate roads have claimed the highest number of road deaths in Queensland so far in 2023, can no longer be ignored by the state government.

Mrs Frecklington said families continued to be torn apart by the tragedies, with 13 fatalities in the region between January 1 and July 31, 2022.

“With every fatality, a family suffers unimaginable loss,” she said.

“We must remember that these statistics only count those who have lost their lives.

“There are many more who are injured and incapacitated in these accidents who will endure a lifetime of suffering.”

Mrs Frecklington said the stats painted a picture of just how bad things were in her region.

“In 2021, the region was the second worst in Queensland, and now we have unfortunately risen to become the worst in Queensland,” she said.

“I recently spoke in Parliament about the chronic neglect of state-controlled roads across the electorate but I was shut down by the Minister for Transport and Main Roads who didn’t want me reminding the government about the huge road maintenance backlog.

“Statewide the backlog on state-controlled roads has blown out to $5.7 million, with the Auditor- General forecasting that our maintenance backlog would grow to $9 billion this decade.

“This chronic neglect of our regional road upgrades means our roads continue to deteriorate. Our communities need confidence in their road network to know they can safely travel to work, drive their truck to market, or send their kids on the school bus.”

Mrs Frecklington said she was continuing to advocate for highways including the Bunya, Burnett, D’Aguilar and Brisbane Valley Highways, along with key connecting roads and bridges including:

• Tanduringie Creek Bridge, GS Bond Bridge on the Chinchilla-Wondai Road, Running Creek Bridge on the Woolooga-Brooweena Road and single-lane Cooyar Bridge on the New England Highway,

• Mundubbera-Durong Road, Kingaroy-Barkers Creek Road, Kilkivan-Tansey Road, Memerambi-Gordonbrook Road and Byee Road

“Unfortunately, these roads are never a priority for this State Government, but this must change and I implore them to look at these statistics and what is blatantly obvious – our regional roads need urgent funding to make them safe,” she said.

LNP Member for Gympie Tony Perrett said the government needed to do more for road safety in the Gympie region. Picture: Shane Zahner

Gympie MP Tony Perrett

“Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach Roads and the Mary Valley Highway are just two state-controlled roads which urgently need upgrading and improvements,” Mr Perrett said.

The Gympie LNP MP referred to the horrifying tragedy that recently cost 14-year-old boy Levi Hanna his life.

“The government needs to address overtaking lanes, speed limits, increased safety at intersections,” he said.

“Two years ago, I sponsored a petition of 12,148 petitioners seeking an upgrade to the road. It quoted statistics which showed it was the second most dangerous road in the Wide Bay, marginally behind the Bruce Highway.

“There were 14 deaths between 2011 and 2018 and 312 crashes between 2001 and 2019. That equates to one crash every three weeks.”

Mr Perrett said the Mary Valley Road Safety Report identified that the Mary Valley Highway (gazettal name Gympie-Brooloo Road) needed upgrading.

“It needs to be upgraded to at least B-double standard to assist industry growth in the region. Activity on the road is not going to decrease. The proposed pumped hydro scheme at Borumba Dam will put even more pressure on the road.”

Mr Perrett said the state government was responsible for the condition of several roads in the Gympie region which notorious for fatalities, near misses and accidents.

“Roads are below standard, and drivers become frustrated and take risks,” he said.

“For years I have been raising this with the government in correspondence, questions, speeches in the parliament and in the media.

“It takes months to receive a reply, if at all. Calls for transparency and action result in either deliberate obfuscation and spin or fall on deaf ears and are outright ignored.

“Reports are delayed, not released. and road maintenance by the state government is seriously underfunded.”

Mr Tantari said the Mary Valley Road Safety Report was delayed, then reclassified as a safety review, and then not publicly released.

“It’s not good enough,” he said.

“Playing games and ignoring what needs to be done it puts residents, drivers, visitors, and workers travelling these roads at risk.”

Hervey Bay Labor MP Adrian Tantari.

Hervey Bay MP Adrian Tantari

Hervey Bay Labor MP Adrian Tantari highlighted roads in the Maryborough and Hervey Bay region that most need attention.

“From a State Government responsibility perspective, the priority road infrastructure for the Hervey Bay electorate are the intersections at the Booral Rd/Elizabeth Street and Maryborough-Hervey Bay/Burrum Heads Road,” he said.

“Hervey Bay’s recent surge in population growth has increased road users and the demand on these intersections as people move around Hervey Bay and the outer suburbs.

“Both these intersections are currently at various stages of redevelopment.

“Booral Road will require upgrades for floodproofing and to increase safety for road users. I am working with the Department of Main Roads to accelerate action on this road.”

Originally published as Stephen Bennett, Llew O’Brien, Keith Pitt, Deb Frecklington on Wide Bay Burnett roads