SCENIC Rim MP Jon Krause has hit out at the Labor government for failing to mention the Mount Lindesay Highway as a priority in Parliament this week.
“We had piecemeal commitments from Labor before the election, but it is time for them to go further than that,” Mr Krause said.
“We need a plan for congestion busting.”
Opening Parliament this week Queensland Governor Paul de Jersey referred to upgrades to the M1 and Bruce highways.
Mr Krause said it was disappointing the Mount Lindesay Highway had not been mentioned.
“The Mount Lindesay has yet again failed to make the agenda of priorities,” Mr Krause said.
“It shows that Labor takes the area for granted.”
Future upgrades of the highway are crucial to improving the efficiency, productivity and safety of the national freight industry.
- Council of Mayors (South East Queensland) federal government budget submission
Mr Krause said there was a major bottleneck on the highway at Jimboomba that caused congestion.
“Works need to be planned and we need to start now,” he said.
Logan MP Linus Power said the LNP during their three years of government had only invested and planned investment for $1 million north of Jimboomba.
“I’ve fought for and am delivering $69 million in investment including four-laning at Park Ridge South, the North Maclean Service Road and Greenbank Road intersection upgrade as well as lifting and four-laning between Camp Cable Road and the Tamborine/Johanna Street intersection,” he said.
“I’ll continue to fight for improvements including more four-laning and improvements to intersections.
“Our government has delivered projects to improve the highway and I’ll continue to fight for more.”
A Transport and Main Roads spokesperson said the plan for the highway, the West Mt Lindesay Highway Development Corridor – Major Road Network Study was scheduled to be updated by mid-2018.
“A $1.5 million planning study is funding business cases for a staged upgrade of Mount Lindesay Highway between Stoney Camp Road and Jimboomba,” the spokesperson said.
Mr Power said the updated plan would include figures and projections and deliver investment goals.
“The plan will also identify projects where the federal government can make a contribution.”
In an appeal to the federal government ahead of the 2018-19 budget, the Council of Mayors (South East Queensland) appealed for a $100 million allocation to the highway.
They cited the transport route as crucial to economic growth in the region.
“The Mount Lindesay Highway supports 40,000 vehicles daily in each direction and this is expected to increase to 63,900 by 2031 (up 64 per cent),” the submission states.
“Future upgrades of the highway are crucial to improving the efficiency, productivity and safety of the national freight industry.
“National recognition and priority funding is needed to ensure the staging and sequencing of upgrades keeps pace with projected demand.”
Regarding Labor’s election promise of $20 million to duplicate the highway to four lanes and raise the road level between Camp Cable Road and Tamborine/Johanna Road, the TMR spokesperson said construction timeframes were being finalised.
A $20 million duplication of the highway between Rosia Road and the Stoney Camp road interchange was expected to be delivered in 2019-20.
The spokesperson said works on an upgrade at North Maclean were due to start in the middle of this year.
The federal government has contributed $16 million to the $20 million project.