'It's lip service': Resident slams Labor's road stalemate

Each day hundreds of motorists fight to cross the congested Mount Crosby Rd, Warrego Highway intersection with no end in sight.

Treasurer and Deputy Premier Jackie Trad, Minister for Main Roads and Transport Mark Bailey and Ipswich West MP Jim Madden at a recent Warrego Hwy funding announcement. Picture: Contributed

LABOR is "paying lip service" in Ipswich over the upgrade of one of the region's most dangerous intersections, a community advocate has declared.

Each day hundreds of motorists fight to cross the congested Mount Crosby Rd, Warrego Highway intersection with no end in sight.

Chuwar resident Sandra Clarke secured 1736 online signatures on a petition calling for the government to upgrade the road intersection.

She said Labor had since failed to act.

"It's still a stalemate and we haven't really progressed," she said.

"There's funding there for the Warrego upgrade but nothing for Mt Crosby Rd."

Last month the State Government claimed it had allocated its 20 per cent of funding for the $22 million upgrade.

The QT put questions to the office of Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey about whether the cash had been allocated and when the project would begin.

Those questions remain unanswered.

Member for Ipswich West Jim Madden also failed to confirm whether money had actually been allocated, with State Government budget documents failing to make any mention of the project.

Instead, Mr Madden rehashed the party line promoted after last month's budget.

"The Palaszczuk government has secured $400 million in joint-funding for Warrego Highway upgrades, including $80 million in state funding," Mr Madden said in a statement.

"The $22 million Mount Crosby Rd interchange upgrade project is our highest priority for the Warrego Highway east corridor.

"The Federal Government's current 80 per cent commitment to the $400 million currently won't flow through until 2022-23, but we'll work closely with them to bring it forward so we can get started as soon as possible."

Last month Mr Madden and Mr Bailey joined Deputy Premier Jackie Trad at the road to inspect concept plans.

Ms Clarke said with no start date in sight, that was nothing but a picture opportunity.

"It was a bit of grandstanding because they're doing nothing," she said.

"Of course it's frustrating.

"We know the community needs it and demands it with the growth in the area."

As motorists sit in traffic, State and Federal governments are battling over who should contribute what cash to the upgrade.

The State Government says the road is in an urban area and should be funded on a 20-80 basis.

The Federal Coalition has not committed funds, but Federal Labor said the road should be funded on a 50-50 basis.

Mr Bailey, Queensland's road minister, has not detailed to what effort he has gone to lobby for the funding split.

Ms Clarke said Costco, housing developments and growing industry around the area would create more traffic on the bottleneck Mt Crosby Rd.

"There are other commercial developments such as waste transfer stations that have been approved... which will put more trucks on the intersection," she said.

"We've had the conversation and we know the community wants and demands it."

Ms Clarke said she understood why people were frustrated and despondent with politicians.

"The support just hasn't been there, it's all lip service," she said.

"I can see why there was a backlash against Labor in the election.

"People are fed up with lip service. We are a forgotten community."

Originally published as 'It's lip service': Resident slams Labor's road stalemate