North Queensland to Benefit from $730 million in road funding
27 March, 2019
The Federal Government will invest $730 million to open up North Queensland to more traffic and more business. This investment is expected to seal and/or upgrade approximately 700km of road.
The investment will concentrate on strategic corridors that will help spur new business and new jobs in North Queensland, including:
- Townsville to Tennant Creek – $200m
- Yeppoon to Mt Isa – $190m
- Cooktown to Weipa – $190m
- Townsville to Roma – 100m
- Cairns to Northern Territory border – $50m
For the Fitzroy and Central West, this investment will cut costs for cattle producers. For example, the sealing of the Springsure to Tambo routes will cut 8 hours off a round trip and save almost $1,400 per trip, meaning greater returns for Queensland farmers. In total, the CSIRO estimates that this road upgrade will save Queensland’s agriculture industry $4.6m a year.
Improved road access will also open up Queensland to more visits from tourists.
