Wide Bay MP pushes for fast-tracking four lane Tiaro bypass

It comes after Mr O’Brien successfully pushed for the State and Federal Governments to build a four-lane bypass rather than the two lanes that was initially agreed to.

Wide Bay MP Llew O'Brien and Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey continue to go tit for tat over the Bruce Highway Bypass of Tiaro.

A request to fast track the design for a four-lane Tiaro bypass has been made by Federal member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien after Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the design wouldn’t be ready until the end of next year.

Federal Member for Wide Bay and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Llew O‘Brien has urged the State Government to fast-track the design for a four-lane Tiaro bypass, after Queensland Roads Minister Mark Bailey said it won’t be done until the end of next year.

“There was widespread shock and condemnation when Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey first said a four-lane Tiaro bypass wouldn’t be necessary for decades to come, so we all welcome his latest backflip to support a four-lane design,” Mr O’Brien said.
“His reversal is better late than never, but it’s taken a year of campaigning and more than 4,000 signatures on petitions for the State to finally do what it should have done in the first place and recommend four lanes.
“But Minister Bailey’s backflip comes with a catch – the State Government won’t finish the four-lane design that it should have put forward in the first place until the end of 2022.”

It comes after Mr O’Brien successfully pushed for the State and Federal Governments to build a four-lane bypass rather than the two lanes that was initially agreed to.

Now he wants to see the design completed sooner rather than later.

“That means we may not see major construction until 2024 and that’s just not good enough,” Mr O’Brien said.

“People are losing their lives and suffering serious injuries on this outdated and unsafe stretch of highway, and it needs to be fast-tracked and prioritised by the Queensland Government.

“If this road was in Victoria or Melbourne, with the same level of traffic as between Gympie and Maryborough, we wouldn’t be waiting until the end of next year just for the design – a four-lane highway would already be built and finished.

Mr O’Brien said the State Government was too focused on Brisbane.

“We can’t afford for the State Government to drag its heels any longer on the four-lane Tiaro bypass, like it’s done with other projects in Wide Bay, including the fully federally-funded $13.3 million Tinana overtaking lanes.

“On 12 January 2018, the State Government advised they were undertaking design work with construction to start at Tinana later that year – but major construction didn’t begin until this year, more than three years later.

“It was the same story with the Wide Bay Highway intersection upgrade at Bells Bridge – in May 2017 I announced $11.2 million from the Coalition Government to fix that dangerous intersection.

“But there was delay after delay by the State Government and it wasn’t until March this year, four years later, that work finally began.

“In January 2019 I announced $17.5 million to upgrade intersections along the Bruce Highway at Gootchie.

“Again, here we are more than two years later and work is finally beginning.

“The State Government’s poor planning and poor programming of these much-needed road works mean they have now all come on at once, knocking out overtaking lanes and clogging the highway, adding to fatigue and making a dangerous section of highway even worse.

“We have waited long enough, our funding is on the table, we simply cannot accept any more delays for the four-lane Tiaro bypass, the State Government must get on with the job.”

But Mr Bailey this week hit back at Mr O’Brien’s comments.

“Llew O’Brien’s lazy ways saw him take years to get funding from Canberra for a four lane Tiaro bypass,” he said.

“Finally, he was saved by Michael McCormack a few weeks ago and Llew paid him back by politically stabbing him in the back and voting for Barnaby Joyce as leader of the Nationals.

“It isn’t clear now if the funding will continue without Michael McCormack as Deputy Prime Minister, given this week’s leadership brawl.

“Mr O’Brien needs to get an assurance from Canberra that the Tiaro four lane funding hasn’t been lost due to his treachery.”

Originally published as Wide Bay MP pushes for fast-tracking four lane Tiaro bypass