Call for action on drawn out Bruce Hwy road works
Drivers who use the Bruce Hwy daily have called for action to address drawn out road work projects following the latest death on the Cassowary Coast at the Tully River Bridge.
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Cassowary Coast residents who use the Bruce Highway daily have called for action to address black spots following the death of a heavy vehicle mechanic from Hull Heads who was killed on the Tully River Bridge at Euramo on Wednesday.
The 64-year-old Bonassi Quarry employee was declared dead at the scene of the wet weather head-on crash, a few hundred meters from the Euramo Hotel.
The hotel’s publican Ollie Muzic said the fatal crash had been a talking point at the bar on Wednesday.
Though it’s unclear if road conditions were a factor in the crash, Ms Muzic said one lane of the Bruce Highway at Midgeenoo, had been closed for works since October last year.
Though it’s unclear if road conditions were a factor in the crash, Ms Muzic said the Bruce Highway needed more attention.
She said one lane of the main road to Cairns at Midgenoo had been closed for works since October last year.
“It’s shocking, it’s disgusting, because that wouldn’t happen if the road was in Brisbane. It’s been like that for so long,” she said.
“At this time of the year, there’s always a fatality somewhere on our road.”
Quarry owner Paul Bonassi, still shaken by the loss of his employee said it was just “bloody sad” the man had worked his whole life to die in a road crash so close to retirement.
“You go to work and you expect to come home, I’m still in shock,” he said.
El Arish Tavern owner Wayne Kimberly was frustrated by a “Band-Aid” approach to road maintenance, which he said was impacting the economy, wasting motorists’ time, and contributing to fatal road crashes.
“The works that they are doing end up taking twice as long to do, the overtaking lanes are never long enough, it just appears to be an ad hoc approach, just patching up and patching up,” he said.
“For example, a piece of road at the bottom of the range near (Midgenoo) has been cut off since October last year and there’s still no resolution.”
More temporary traffic lights to allow for the work of a $30m cassowary crossing at Smiths Gap is again causing so much frustration motorists are using Old Tully Rd to instead of the Bruce Highway.
“People are so frustrated and they are taking that old road which is really dangerous,” Mr Kimberly said.
Police said initial investigations showed a Holden Rodeo travelling north and a Toyota LandCruiser travelling south collided on the Tully River Bridge about 10am Wednesday.
Two other Townsville men in the LandCruiser escaped with only minor injuries.
“Investigations are continuing and we are keen for anyone who saw the utilities in the lead up to the crash to give us a call,” Forensic Crash Unit senior constable Lee Chamberlain said.
The death of the 64-year-old quarry worker is the third death on the stretch of highway between Euramo and Midgenoo since May and was the 10 fatality on Far North roads this year, according to the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
A male cyclist was killed after being struck by a car at Midgenoo on May 20 and a pedestrian struck by a Toyota RAV4 in early May died in hospital on June 10.
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Originally published as Call for action on drawn out Bruce Hwy road works
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