By JOLENE OGLE
Growing frustrations over the gridlock traffic on Beckmans Road looks to only increase as Member for Noosa Glen Elmes said it’s unlikely the State Government will fund the long-awaited Tewantin Bypass.
Parents doing the daily school drop-off and pick-up from Noosaville State School are growing more and more frustrated with the daily congestion on the thoroughfare road.
Last Monday, Noosa Today counted more than 50 cars lined-up from the Eumundi Noosa Road roundabout to the school roundabout with a drive time of 15 minutes to travel from the corner of Beckmans Road and St Andrews Drive to the school turn off.
A Tewantin Bypass was planned in 2000 when the State Government and Noosa Council signed a de-maining agreement that would see the council take over responsibility for Beckmans Road and the State Government investigate building a bypass.
But, Mr Elmes said while the bypass is “desperately needed”, there is no obligation on the State Government to pay for the much-needed bypass which was estimated to cost $30 million back in 2006 despite the agreement.
On 31 October 2006 in parliament, Mr Elmes asked the then Minister for Transport and Main Roads Paul Lucas what stage the planning process had reached and when work would commence on the Tewantin Bypass.
Mr Lucas said, under the agreement signed by the state government and Noosa Council in 2000, Main Roads had no obligation to fund a Tewantin Bypass or a specific timeframe to construct it.
More recently, a letter to Mr Elmes from Minister for Transport and Main Roads Scott Emerson dated 20 August 2014 stated the Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) had commenced a Northern Sunshine Coast Area Planning study.
Mr Emerson said future demand for a bypass of Beckmans Road will be investigated and “potential interim road upgrades” may be developed at a “conceptual level”.
“It is expected that this area-wide study will identify local areas and road corridors for further, more detailed study in due course,” he said.
“These further studies would be expected to commence in 2016, subject to the availability of funds within the State Planning Program.”
But, Mr Elmes said it is unlikely the more than $60 million needed to build the Tewantin Bypass will be made available in the budget due to be released on 14 July.
“Where is the money going to come from?” Mr Elmes said.
“Where is the state going to find the money to do the bypass?”
According to Mr Elmes, the State Government is still paying $4 billion in interest repayments on the State debt leaving just $43 billion to share around the state.
“It will be interesting to see what the economic plan is,” he said.
“The room Labor have to work in is very, very narrow.
“I’ll be interested to see what rabbit he is going to pull out of the hat.
“If there is a rabbit, it will be a very skinny one.”
