St George and Surat secure Carnarvon upgrade

The jointly funded $4.14 million Carnarvon Highway upgrade between St George and Surat is complete.

The upgrade included extending four culverts and widening 7.25 kilometres of the Carnarvon Highway over several sections.

Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said these sections of the highway were now fully open to traffic, ahead of schedule and under budget.

"The Federal Government has injected $2.07 million under Round Six of the Heavy Vehicle Productivity Program, to undertake these works which will improve road safety and heavy vehicle operations across Australia," Mr McCormack said.

"These works form part of a comprehensive package to upgrade the Carnarvon Highway, with $45 million worth of upgrades to 88 kilometres jointly funded under the Program, with more to follow.

“All motorists who use the Carnarvon Highway will all benefit from these upgrades. Safer roads save lives."

Federal Member for Maranoa David Littleproud said the upgrades would increase the safety and productivity of heavy vehicle operations.

“Widening key sections of the Carnarvon Highway allows for removal of restrictions on oversize overmass vehicles, which means there are fewer trucks on the road and products are being delivered to their destinations sooner and safer,” Mr Littleproud said.

“Without trucks, Australia stops. Our truckies are hard-working members of the community who proudly support the agricultural, livestock and mining sectors through safe and efficient transportation of their produce.”

The Queensland Government contributed $2.07 million towards this upgrade.

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said with the volume of freight moving across the state expected to grow by more than 20 per cent over the next decade, the upgrades would play a crucial role in safer roads for truckies and drivers.

“Southwest Queensland generates more than $19 billion for our state’s economy every year. This upgrade shows that we’re backing our local producers and freight industry with safer, stronger roads,” Mr Bailey said.

“Importantly, this $4.14 million upgrade has also helped to support 12 jobs throughout construction.”