Federal Labor welcomes today’s opening of the final stage of the Townsville Ring Road, funded by the former Labor Federal Government in partnership with the Queensland Government.
The 11.5km section will complete the 22km Ring Road, providing a freight bypass of Townsville and taking 5000 trucks a day off local streets.
The project will reduce traffic congestion, improve road safety and boost productivity, setting the stage for ongoing economic and jobs growth in Townsville and North Queensland.
As Infrastructure Minister in the former Labor Government, I approved the Commonwealth’s $160 million contribution to this important project in June of 2012.
I am pleased the project will open ahead of schedule and I am looking forward to attending the opening.
The former Labor Government invested heavily in roads in North Queensland, delivering projects including the Port Access Road and the Douglas Arterial Duplication.
We also lifted investment on the Bruce Highway, a fact acknowledged by former Liberal Member for Herbert Ewan Jones, who told The Townsville Bulletin in 2011: “I’ll give Labor a pat on the back and say they have spent more in their four to five years on the Bruce Highway than we did before.’’