Central Queensland jobs key to COVID-19 recovery
Posted on June 17th, 2020
More than 1500 jobs will be supported by a $1.4 billion road building boom in Central Queensland with the region to play a pivotal role in the state’s economic recovery.
Businesses that support these projects – the whole supply chain – play an essential role in leading that economic recovery, not just the construction companies.
The upgrades being delivered in Rockhampton on the Bruce and Capricorn highways are sustaining hundreds of jobs, with seventy per cent of the workforce on the Bruce Highway upgrade north of the city local and involving 16 local businesses.
This guarantees income for local earthmoving and crane hire businesses, for traffic managers and landscapers, for local quarries and fencing companies.
Following the Bruce Highway upgrade, the $1 billion Rockhampton Ring Road will begin.
Other projects like the $14.5 million Bajool-Port Alma Road upgrade and the $19 million investment in new overtaking lanes on the Capricorn Highway from Rockhampton to Emerald are also underway and support almost 120 local jobs for Central Queensland. $35 million has been pledged to duplicate Lawrie Street and fix the bottleneck there.
Consultation will also start soon on the jointly-funded $80 million Rockhampton-Yeppoon Road duplication. During that process, the community will be able to nominate what section of Rockhampton-Yeppoon Road should be upgraded first.
The $80 million isn’t enough to pay for duplicating the whole two-lane stretch of the road between Mulara Road and Tanby Road, but community consultation will assist in determining which section gets prioritised.
Fast Facts on Central Queensland roads and transport projects
Rockhampton Northern Access Upgrade (80% federal, 20% state funding)
- $157 million – 425 jobs
- Duplicate the Bruce Highway to four lanes for 4.9km from Rockhampton-Yeppoon Road intersection through the northern suburbs of Parkhurst and Glenlee.
- Due for completion in mid-2021.
Capricorn Highway-Rockhampton to Gracemere Duplication (80% federal, 20% state funding)
- $75 million – 187 jobs
- Four-lane the Capricorn Highway between Rockhampton and Gracemere (jointly-funded with the Federal Government).
- Due for completion in early 2021
Road train access to Rockhampton abattoirs: Rockhampton-Emu Park Road (80% federal, 20% state funding)
- $20 million
- Improvements to the road network to improve access for larger cattle trucks to North Rockhampton abattoirs (jointly-funded with the Federal Government).
- Final stage of work underway now.
Bajool-Port Alma Road upgrade (80% federal, 20% state funding)
- $14.5 million – 59 jobs
- Upgrade sections of the road over a 14km stretch (jointly-funded with the Federal Government).
- Due for completion in mid-2021.
Capricorn Highway overtaking lanes (80% federal, 20% state funding)
- $19 million – 60 jobs
- New overtaking lanes on the highway between Rockhampton to Emerald (jointly-funded with the Federal Government).
- Due for completion early 2021.
In planning
Rockhampton Ring Road (80% federal, 20% state funding)
- $1 billion – almost 800 jobs
- A new western link of the Bruce Highway from the Capricorn Highway (Nelson Street) in the south, through to Rockhampton-Yeppoon Road/Bruce Highway intersection in the north and will include a new crossing of the Fitzroy River.
- Consultation underway now – construction expected to start 2022.
Bruce Highway—Rockhampton Intersections Upgrade (80% federal, 20% state funding)
- $4.95 million planning project to investigate 40 intersection upgrades on the Bruce Highway through Rockhampton (jointly-funded with the Federal Government). Includes intersections specifically between Jellicoe Street/Upper Dawson Road and Rockhampton-Yeppoon Road.
- Consultation underway now.
Lawrie Street upgrade (80% federal, 20% state funding)
- $35 million – 56 jobs
- Duplicate Lawrie Street, upgrade the bridge and overhaul existing intersections.
- Pre-construction investigations from September 2020.
Rockhampton-Yeppoon Road upgrade (80% federal, 20% state funding)
- $80 million Staged upgrades to four-lane the remaining 21.7-kilometre section of the Rockhampton–Yeppoon Road between Iron Pot Road and Tanby Road intersection.
- Consultation to prioritise stage one to start in July 2020.
