UPGRADING the Mount Lindesay Highway may become one of the region’s biggest state election issues, with Opposition leader Tim Nicholls joining community calls for more to be done.
Mr Nicholls visited North Maclean with Beaudesert MP Jon Krause on Wednesday and slammed the Palaszczuk government’s efforts to improve the road.
“For two-and-a-half years, we have had nothing done by a ‘do nothing’ Labor government,” he said.
“Even when there is money made available – $16 million by the federal government – this government doesn’t know where to spend it.”
Mr Nicholls’ comments followed the state government’s release of its 2017/18 budget earlier this month, which included infrastructure spending for projects in Logan and the Scenic Rim.
The budget included $4 million for the highway’s widening.
Logan MP Linus Power hit back at Mr Nicholls’ allegations and said he had delivered.
“Tim Nicholls should be embarrassed to show his face on the Mount Lindesay Highway – during his time as treasurer, only $1.5 million was budgeted for new projects north of Jimboomba,” he said.
“I’ve fought for more, and so far $48 million in new funding north of Jimboomba has been added to the state budget.
“That is thirty times what Tim Nicholls delivered when he was treasurer.”
Explaining the $48 million figure into terms of past, present and future expenditure, Mr Power said about $8 million in state funding was used to install traffic lights at Camp Cable Road last year, with $20 million allocated to the North Maclean Safety Improvement project and another $20 million forward budgeted for highway lane duplication from Park Ridge’s Rosia Road to the Stoney Camp Road interchange.
“Locals know that if Tim Nicholls had budgeted for $48 million in new funding instead of just $1.5 million then we would be so much further ahead on fixing the Mount Lindesay Highway,” he said.
Mr Power acknowledged $16 million in federal funding for the North Maclean Safety Improvement project was included in his $48 million tally.
He said the project, which was announced in March, was set to begin next year.
Beaudesert MP Jon Krause said the state government needed to rely less on the federal government to fix the Mount Lindesay Highway.
“The fact is, this is a state highway, it is not a national highway,” he said.
“We don’t need to spend more money on another plan or a business case, we know that there are improvements that need to be made to this road and what we need is a plan on where money needs to be spent on the road.
“What we want to see is a plan to upgrade the highway, but also dollars to go with it.”
Mr Power said construction on the North Maclean safety improvements would begin next year, with a Main Roads and Transport spokesperson confirming plans had been conceptualised.
“We are currently in the process of engaging a designer to progress the North Maclean safety improvement project from concept to detailed design phase,” the spokesperson said.
“Transport and Main Roads is engaging with directly impacted residents and businesses with wider consultation to occur in the coming weeks and months.”
Proposed changes include a service road stretching from Chambers Flat interchange to Trace Road and traffic lights at Greenbank Road.
