Maranoa residents and road users are a step closer to a safer and more reliable Cunningham’s Gap as the project design gets underway, Maranoa MP David Littleproud announced.
“Cunningham’s Gap has long caused concerns for Maranoa residents and road users as a notorious bottleneck and high crash zone,” Mr Littleproud said.
“This was only made worse when bushfires swept through the area in 2019, damaging vegetation and increasing the risk of rock falls.
“Repairs to the route are long overdue with traffic still forced to use a single southbound lane and road users regularly experiencing delays due to very slow heavy vehicle traffic.
“Finally, a fix is in sight as the project design tender has been awarded, and a detailed design is expected to be completed by September.
“Construction on this project can’t come quick enough – This is a major freight route between Brisbane and Sydney, and our regions west of the Great Dividing Range can ill-afford the ongoing bottlenecks to continue.”
“This milestone means we are one step closer to a safer and more reliable Cunningham’s Gap.”
The project is expected to cost more than $200 million, which the Federal Government will fund up to 75%.
The project design tender will be awarded to ARUP with the detailed design expected to be completed by September 2021, and construction on track to commence in January 2022.
