A $10 million program of works over 5 years on Lower Order Roads is about to get underway after Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) resolved to progress the program.
Having previously approved the $10 million figure in November 2022, TRC has now prioritised works using a multi-criteria analysis that took into account safety and accessibility, trafficability in wet weather and usage including the number of dwellings on each road.
Roads such as Oestriech Road at Wellcamp, Volker Road at Mt Rascal, Hoffman Road at Wyreema, Glencoe-Yalangur Rd at Gowrie Little Plain, Back Creek Road at Crows Nest, Rocky Gully Road at Emu Creek, Hirstglen Road at Hirstglen, James Road at Goombungee and Gerald Lane at Greenmount will see either design and/or construction begin in the 2023/24 financial year to bring them up to a minimum access standard gravel road.
TRC Infrastructure Committee Chair Cr Carol Taylor said Council had listened to community concerns and prioritised works as best it could within budgetary constraints.
"The reality is we have the second longest road network of any local government area within Queensland and that requires a considerable amount of funding to maintain and upgrade, as 89% of our road network is designated to management by local government.
"This program of works will be $2 million a year over 5 financial years and will be subject to budget approval each year.
"We have listened to community concerns and will continue to prioritise future road requests using the multi-criteria analysis, bringing prioritised roads up to access standard gravel roads as budget allows," Cr Taylor said.
"The wet weather events over the past couple of years have also significantly impacted the condition of our road network and it will take a substantial amount of time to complete the 2022 flood recovery program.
The full list of proposed works over the next 5 financial years (subject to future budget approvals) is noted below:
