State road upgrades should be an election priority according to local residents who feel funding hasn’t kept pace with growing communities.
Four state roads have been highlighted in Bundaberg Regional Council’s 2020 Advocacy Priorities document including Moore Park, Goodwood, Rosedale and Gin Gin Roads.
Bundaberg Regional Council General Manager Infrastructure Services Stuart Randle said the state-controlled roads provided vital links for smaller communities within the region.
“For quite some time we’ve been asking for the State Government to spend a bit more money on the key routes that service the Bundaberg Region,” Mr Randle said.
“Goodwood Road, which runs between Bundaberg and Childers as the backup to the Isis Highway, has seen a 28 per cent increase in traffic volume in the last 10 years.
“We think this road should be reclassified as a higher order state road which would increase its chances of securing appropriate funding.”
He said Moore Park Beach Road was also in need of upgrading.
“There’s 2600 people that live at the end of that road and there are three sections that have very, very low flood immunity.
“Just a short, sharp storm can close that road very quickly.
“That’s not really good enough for a community the size of Moore Park Beach.”
Resident Lindsay Brown agrees.
He’s called Moore Park Beach home for a quarter of a century and drives that stretch of road regularly.
“Moore Park Road, for the amount of traffic it carries, it’s just underserviced, it’s in great need of upgrading,” Lindsay said.
“The amount of traffic it’s carrying these days, I’ve been here for 25 years and the improvements haven’t kept up with the increase in traffic load.”
He said he would estimate he’s been cut off from Bundaberg about 12 times – if he were being conservative.
“Perhaps they should look at their priorities and upgrade it according to the amount of traffic that is using it these days.”
View the 2020 Advocacy Priorities document, including more information on state road upgrades, here.
About time! The council needs to focus more of the forgotten Moore Park beach development.
Not just dribs and drabs.