RACQ Unroadworthy Report 2022 reveals the worst roads in Wide Bay Burnett

Gympie, Maryborough, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg and Kingaroy most unroadworthy roads revealed by RACQ members.

Potholes, narrow roads with increasingly heavier vehicles and traffic volume, blind corners, rough roads and a “disintegrating” Bruce Highway that is “past its use by date” are just some of the comments from RACQ’s unroadworthy report in 2022.

Winning Wide Bay Burnett title for the worst road was the Bruce Highway, which RACQ members also decided was the worst road in the whole of Queensland.

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“The road needs to be rebuilt to be one of the main roads, it is like a goat track,” said one comment around the section south of Bundaberg.

“Road has an unbelievable number of potholes. Can‘t do more than 30km/h on the highway because of the potholes,” said another.

“This section of the highway should be named the POTHOLE highway,” said another, referring to the section just north of Gympie.

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Members identified 28 places within the Wide Bay Burnett section of the Bruce Highway, the most comments were associated with the rough surface of the road, then potholes, followed by poor signage and drainage.

In second place for most unroadworthy road was the Bundaberg-Miriam Vale Rd, with eight complaints.

“Get the D8 dozer and put down the rippers as far as they will go and rip up,” said one comment regarding the northern section of the road.

“Every time they try to fix the road it is made worse and becomes unsafe. Also there is nowhere safe to overtake caravans, causing banked traffic or caravans to pull off on unsafe shoulders of the road,” said another comment.

Congestion from holiday caravans and tourist traffic, tight turns, lack of overtaking opportunities, potholes and flood prone areas were also included in the complaints.

D’Aguilar Highway, Maryborough Hervey Bay Rd and Neerdie Rd all matched for third place.

In particular, the D’Aguilar and Edenvale South intersection at Kingaroy in South Burnett drew a lot of comments.

“Flood damage, potholes, poor gravel, broken bitumen. Road used for aerodrome, motor track events, antique machinery events, glider events etc. plus local residents,” said one comment.

“Road intersection that nobody seems to understand and causes accidents and near misses all the time. Two give ways, a stop and a go through. It really needs to be a light intersection or roundabout,” said another.

“Very rough for the entire length of this road, narrow and full of potholes that keep on being filled only to become potholes in no time again. Never repaired properly. Broken uneven surfaces, very little room to pull off road in an emergency,” voiced a concern over the Maryborough Hervey Bay Rd.

RACQ members did not hold back their concerns on Neerdie Rd, particular over the western section of the road.

“This road is a very busy road that is in 2 local council areas (Gympie and Maryborough) and is a very busy stretch of road in and out of Glenwood, that is poorly maintained both the bitumen and the unsealed road. Many accidents and a few deaths to date.”

The comments continued. In total 130 complaints were made to RACQ within the Wide Bay Burnett region.

This reporting is part of a wider campaign within the Wide Bay Burnett region to fix our roads.

Road Rage Wide Bay Burnett campaign 2023.

Originally published as RACQ Unroadworthy Report 2022 reveals the worst roads in Wide Bay Burnett