Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Planning, Small Business, Employment and Trade Tim Nicholls was in Noosa on Tuesday and he took the opportunity to throw his support behind the Tewantin Bypass.
Travelling from Brisbane to Hervey Bay, Mr Nicholls said his trip was a chance to travel the Bruce Highway to “see some of the problems (he) hears about” as well as talk to local communities and “find out what’s going on”.
Mr Nicholls said he spoke to Noosa Council about a number of issues including Beckmans Road, which he said needs to be considered in the coming budget.
“There’s a transport study currently underway by TMR. The results of that are expected to trigger the agreement to force the state to build that road,” he said.
But the study is only designed to operate at a “conceptual level” and Mr Nicholls said that’s not good enough.
“Conceptual ideas are good up to a point and at some stage the rubber has to hit the road and there has to be a road,” he said.
“I would be certainly saying if it meets the criteria the Government should be putting it in their list of projects to be funded and they should be putting that well and truly forward.
“At the moment it’s on the ‘long list’, it’s on the never-never.
“It’s a road that might be built at some time in the future with no idea where it’s coming from.”
Mr Nicholls said, if the numbers stack up, the Tewantin Bypass needs to go on the list that will see it considered for funding.
“At the moment, it’s not even there,” he said.
