June 8, 2010The future economic development of the Rockhampton region has been given a boost in today's budget with $10 million allocated to start the work on an overpass to open up access to the Gracemere-Stanwell industrial precinct.
Premier Anna Bligh says local member Robert Schwarten, the Mayor and business leaders have raised the issue with her at the recent community cabinet meeting at Rockhampton and Emu Park.
"Today's budget will have a strong focus on building our regions and this project is critical to underpin growth in the Capricorn region,” Bligh says.
"This is a very important infrastructure project for future growth and future jobs so we are signing up to undertake the work with an initial allocation of $10 million to do the detailed design work and get the project moving with early works," she says.
According to Bligh, heavy vehicles, including type two road trains, turning off the Capricorn Highway block the Highway if they have to stop for a train on the Blackwater railway line.
"The alternative to this is for road trains to go to a separate area and decouple which is very time consuming,” she says.
"An overpass over the railway line will free up this industrial area, remove a major obstacle, and improve safety.”
The overpass will be west of the Gracemere Sales Yard on the Capricorn Highway.
Bligh says because of the corridor’s importance, the State Government will investigate declaring the precinct a state development area.
