The first project under the $500 million Queensland Beef Roads program, which will upgrade critical freight routes, has begun.
These works will improve the transport efficiency, safety, and resilience of Queensland’s world-class beef industry across an area the size of Great Britain.
Construction on the project’s $47.5 million early works package has begun via the sealing of a priority section of Clermont-Alpha Road – approximately 89 kilometres north of Alpha in the Barcaldine Region.
Alongside the Clermont-Alpha Road works, the early works package will deliver widening, sealing and floodway upgrades to sections of Alpha-Tambo Road, Fitzroy Developmental Road between Bauhinia and Duaringa and on May Downs road.
Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Brent Mickelberg, said this beef corridor road network is key to the efficient movement of cattle freight.
“Managing a road network of this magnitude is challenging but critically important to support the movement of about $1.7 billion in freight and agricultural produce – primarily Australian beef – each year,” he said.
“The sealing of these strategic beef corridor roads will improve the cattle supply chain in the region from our primary producers to saleyards, processing facilities and onto plates both here and overseas.”
The first package forms part of the 10-year Central Queensland Beef Roads Investment Strategy (CQBRIS) which was developed in partnership with seven regional councils forming the Queensland Beef Corridors (QBC) group.
The CQBRIS sets out priorities to seal nine key beef corridor roads to help strengthen supply chains, reduce costs and support economic growth across Central Queensland.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, said the upgrades to these beef corridor roads will have positive impacts on the wider freight and logistics sector.
“This first project marks a significant milestone in the upgrades of the beef road network, which is good for our nation’s freight productivity, good for Central Queenslanders and good for our truckies who use these roads every day,” she said.
“We welcome this investment strategy which considers short, medium and long-term priorities to fully seal nine unsealed roads.”
The program is backed by $400 million from the Australian Government and $100 million from the Queensland Government following years of advocacy by local councils and industry.
In other news, Macquarie Asset Management has submitted a proposal to acquire Qube at an enterprise valuation of approximately $11.6 billion.
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