Thursday, 26 November, 2020
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‘Sunrise’ turns 20
Art on a ‘small scale’
What’s in the diary
Garden Time with Beatrice
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Kent Saddlery wins national training award Iconic Stanthorpe business Kent Saddlery named ‘Small Employer of the Year’ at 2020 Australian Training Awards - wonderful recognition coming at the end of a tough year for small business across the country ... Story & more photos, page 5.
Fix for Eight Mile By Jeremy Sollars Work on a $25 million heavy engineering solution at the Eight Mile intersection north of Warwick is due to start in February of next year, following a major joint Federal-State announcement. Federal MP for Maranoa David Littleproud and Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey made good on a commitment given during the Queensland election campaign in a rare display of cooperation between George Street in Brisbane and Canberra, ostensibly due to a national capital works program prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Eight Mile - at the junction of the Cunningham and New England Highways - has for decades been one of the region’s most notorious traffic ‘black spots’, and the scene of numerous fatalities. The work is projected for completion in mid-2022 and is expected to generate significant delays and potential diversions, although details of those are yet to be released. The Eight Mile project will include a ‘grade separation’ or overpass and associated road-
works and associated improvements, with the State Government having recently called for tenders for construction, a tendering process which closed at the end of October. Mr Bailey this week told the Free Times the tender is due to be awarded in December and the successful lead contractor announced “in early 2021”, with works “scheduled to start in early February”. Also announcing the Eight Mile project was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack, who said the “Australian and Queensland governments have unlocked funding to the tune of $25 million for the Cunningham Highway - Eight Mile Intersection Upgrade, which will go towards improving safety at this dangerous junction”. “The funding will deliver a grade-separated interchange at the intersection of the Cunningham and New England highways, north of Warwick,” Mr McCormack said. “Supporting an estimated 50 jobs over the life of the project, this upgrade will reduce the risk of crashes while allowing passenger and freight traffic alike to navigate the area more
quickly and efficiently, saving time and freight operating costs. “This is exactly the type of project we continue to roll out across Australia under our $110 billion infrastructure investment program, which is laying the foundations for economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.” Mr Bailey said “projects like this form part of a record $25.7 billion jointly-funded program being delivered by the Queensland Government to build better roads and transport, and create jobs as part of Queensland’s plan for economic recovery”. “This is a critical upgrade for the region, with longstanding calls locally to fix what is known as the Eight Mile Intersection,” Mr Bailey said. “Unlocking the funding now will allow works to get under way early next year and spark up to 50 jobs in construction for the region. “The project will include a 66-metre-long bridge for traffic travelling from Toowoomba to Warwick, driving safety and improving capacity along this critical route for the region.” David Littleproud - whose Federal seat of Maranoa takes in Warwick and Stanthorpe said the funding was “just part of the Austra-
lian Government’s commitment to delivering a safer, more efficient and more reliable Cunningham Highway”. “The Federal Government has committed a total of $170 million to deliver upgrades to the Cunningham Highway,” Mr Littleproud said. “I look forward to continuing to work with industry and local communities to identify and unlock funding for critical improvements right up and down the highway.” Queensland Assistant Minister for Regional Roads Bruce Saunders said improving safety and capacity on Southern Downs roads was crucial to the region’s $2 billion economy. “Better roads get families home safer, our products to markets across Australia and the globe, and stimulate jobs - which is why we’ve also injected another $1 billion in joint stimulus funding since April to upgrade roads right across the region and the state,” Mr Saunders said. “Construction on the Cunningham Highway - Eight Mile Intersection Upgrade is expected to begin in early 2021 and be completed by mid-2022, weather and construction conditions permitting.”
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