State government hints that a business case into the fix for Woolcock St and the North Townsville corridor may be in 2025/26 budget

The state government has hinted that a major North Queensland road bottleneck will receive funding for upgrades in the next budget.

Bruce Highway (Woolcock Street) and Shaw Road (Ring Road) Intersection looking down the Bruce Highway towards the North Shore Development Drive.

The state government has hinted that a major North Queensland road bottleneck will receive funding for upgrades in the next budget.

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto has been pushing for the state government to upgrade the Woolcock St and the North Townsville corridor to improve the traffic congestion, which can mean commuters are travelling to the city at a snail’s pace.

His calls come after years of pleas from the community as the northern suburbs of Townsville continue to boom.

Last month, the MP pushed the government on when funding for a $20m business case would be provided to advance the development.

While he didn’t explicitly say the project would be funded, Transport and Main Roads Minister Brent Mickelberg said in his answer to the Question on Notice that he looked forward to “sharing further information about the projects and initiatives which have been funded by the Crisafulli Government”.

MP Nick Dametto Picture: Shae Beplate.

This comes after the Katter’s Australian Party MP pushed the government on whether it could commit to funding the business case.

Mr Mickelberg said TMR had explored the project in a preliminary evaluation that had allowed “greater understanding of the challenges of this complex infrastructure location” and “identified several options to upgrade the road network”.

Mr Dametto said as a resident of Burdell, he regularly joins the thousands of road users battling multiple traffic jams on Woolcock St during peak hour traffic.

“This response from the Minister comes as a signal that relief may be on its way in the form of a monetary commitment during this year’s state budget,” he said.

“It’s frustrating that this critical road infrastructure upgrade has taken so long.”

Minister for Transport and Main Roads Brent Mickelberg. Picture: Liam Kidston

He said many other roads in Townsville had been upgraded by the previous government, but the corridor to the northern suburbs had been forgotten.

“This has come at the detriment of the people who live here and commute along Woolcock Street. I hope the incoming government has recognised this and will adjust their focus for road infrastructure accordingly,” he said.

“Townsville’s residential growth is migrating North and with over six thousand blocks being potentially unlocked by this project it makes sense for the State Government to fund it during a housing crisis.”

Originally published as State government hints that a business case into the fix for Woolcock St and the North Townsville corridor may be in 2025/26 budget