20 August 2014
Pam McKay
The Morning Bulletin
MAYOR Bill Ludwig says it is the “ideal time” for the Livingstone Shire Council to push its plans for a northern tourist link.
The proposed Capricorn Coast-Bruce Hwy Link Rd will drive north-bound traffic into Yeppoon, while also providing an alternate route for primary production and access to the Shoalwater Bay military training area.
Livingstone council has identified the route as a priority transport link road project for the region and referred it to the State and Federal governments for consideration in future planning.
Cr Ludwig (pictured) said the council would need government funding to complete the $80million -plus project, which would include 63km of new roadway and several creek crossings.
The route would allow travellers heading north direct access to Yeppoon and Byfield without having to backtrack on the highway to Rockhampton.
“This will encourage more tourism to the Capricorn Coast, but will have a host of other applications,” Cr Ludwig said.
“It is coming at an ideal time when governments are putting long-term plans in place for the development of Central Queensland and Northern Australia.
“This is about encouraging them to include this in their forward plans and would be suitable as part of the Queensland Plan and the Developing Northern Australia plan.”
Cr Ludwig said the proposed route was something that had been talked about for about 50 years now.
Five years ago, Capricorn Coast businessmen John Millroy and Brian Fisher set about raising funds for a feasibility study to determine if the route was a viable option.
With the support of the business community, they raised $102,000.
A steering committee was then formed, which engaged McMurtrie Consulting Engineers to complete the feasibility study.
Mr Millroy said he was excited that the important access route was being actively pursued by the council.
“Yeppoon is about the only coastal town in Queensland that doesn’t have a northern and a southern access,” he said.
“We saw the need to do something about that and today we have an engineered plan that shows it can be done.
“It has gone from an idea five years ago to now being a good chance of becoming a reality.”
WHERE IT WILL GO
- The proposed Capricorn Coast-Bruce Hwy Link Rd extends from the intersection of the Bruce Hwy and Raspberry Creek Rd, using a considerable length of Raspberry Creek Rd. It intersects with Byfield Rd via Mapes Rd (about 20km north of Yeppoon).
- The total length of new construction (including the utilised portion of Raspberry Creek Rd) is about 63km.
- There are a number of major waterway crossings, including Alligator and Canal Creeks.
Courtesy of The Morning Bulletin