Scrapped Toowoomba North-South transport corridor proposal cost Qld government $2.73m

One of the most contentious infrastructure proposals in recent memory cost the taxpayer millions, with not a “single inch” of bitumen laid.

17/4/2024: QLD Minister for Transport and Main Roads Bart Mellish, during question time in the state parliament, Brisbane. pic Lyndon Mechielsen / Courier Mail

The much-loathed Toowoomba North-South transport corridor ended up costing more than $2.7m before it was scrapped late last year.

Transport Minister Bart Mellish revealed the new figure in response to a question asked in parliament by Toowoomba North MP Trevor Watts, with much of the cost based around engineering services and running the highly-criticised community consultation.

The figures come four months after the state government trashed plans for a new transport corridor, which was reviled by the community.

A map of the proposed Toowoomba North South Transport Corridor from the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads.

The project was to connect the New England Highway at either ends of the city and run along the western corridor, with residents heavily criticising the resumption of hundreds of properties, the impacts on remaining locals and sensitive ecological and cultural areas.

The community consultation, which itself cost nearly $400,000, was also a subject of scrutiny due to the initially-short time frame and lack of information.

In his response, Mr Mellish said much of the work already done could be repurposed for future planning.

“Of the $2.33m in engineering costs, this included $1.25m for consultancy and $1.08m was for departmental staffing to provide project management, technical services, project review and other administration costs,” he said.

“The engineering has produced a wide range of technical outputs, and many of those outputs have been used on a wide range of projects in the area.

“Outputs included traffic modelling, hydraulic and hydrological modelling, environmental and cultural heritage assessments, survey, economic analysis and strategic cost estimates.”

Meringandan resident Sophie Oliver was concerned about how close the Toowoomba North South Transport Corridor came to her house and the loss of koala habitat, Monday, July 17, 2023. Picture: Kevin Farmer

When asked about what forward planning was being done to support Toowoomba’s future growth, a spokeswoman for the department said the initial focus would be the Charlton bypass — the only part of the corridor proposal to remain in place.

“Currently TMR is refining plans for the Charlton Bypass in addition to improvements for intersections and public and active transport across the city,” she said.

“The refinements of the Charlton Bypass that are currently underway are forecast to expend the total allocation of funding for the Toowoomba North South Transport Corridor (TNSTC).

“However, the planning work undertaken with the investment allocated to the TNSTC project can be repurposed to assist with future transport planning around Toowoomba.

“TMR will continue to work on alternate transport solutions to address Toowoomba’s future transport needs.”

Mr Watts still described the expenditure as costly given the city still had no long-term plan for transport infrastructure, telling the ABC “$2.7m has been spent and not an inch of bitumen has been laid”.