A seal in sight for Springsure Tambo road

Sealing of sections of the Springsure to Tambo road in the Central Highlands is set to receive a $40 million cut of the $730 million North Queensland Roads of Strategic Importance (ROSI) initiative announced earlier this year.

Central Highlands Regional Council Mayor Kerry Hayes said the inclusion of the Springsure to Tambo link demonstrates a welcome recognition of the strategic value of critical road networks in regional Australia.

‘The Springsure to Tambo road effectively connects Western Queensland to the Port of Gladstone via our agricultural powerhouse,’ Mayor Hayes said.

‘As a freight route and tourism corridor, this link is critical to the economies of the Central Highlands and Western Queensland.

‘The inclusion of the Springsure Tambo link in Roads of Strategic Importance funding is a result of a combination of strategic advocacy by council’s, local road user group and economic development organisations over many years.

‘Council’s support and advocacy in collaboration with the local road user group was critical in securing this funding and council will continue to advocate for funding to complete this road so that the route is sealed in its entirety.

‘We thank the Australian Government for their investment in this important road corridor and Ken O’Dowd and Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack for their support and belief in our region and the need for key road infrastructure.’

As part of the Central Highlands Accelerate Agribusiness initiative the Central Highlands Development Corporation and council recently provided critical statistics on livestock movements and other agricultural products on this route, particularly in respect to its priority in the CSIRO Transport Network Strategic Investment (TraNSIT) network.

The CSIRO modelling completed for the Northern Australia Beef Roads Program in 2016 estimates that upgrades will save Queensland’s agriculture industry $4.6 million per year.