Queensland drivers have named their most unroadworthy roads in the state, with three Sunshine Coast roads topping the list.
The Bruce Highway returned to the top of RACQ’s Unroadworthy Roads list in 2022 after being overtaken by Kin Kin Road.
RACQ’s head of public policy Dr Michael Kane said more than 1500 nominations were received from motorists in response to the survey, highlighting problems on 556 different roads.
After the Bruce Highway, Kin Kin Road received the second highest number of nominations, with most complaining about the section between Pomona and Kin Kin, and specifically Pinbarren to Kin Kin.
Old Maroochydore Road, running through Kunda Park and Forest Glen, came in as the third most problematic road.
“All the roads in the top 10 list have many things in common: rough surfaces, poor shoulders, narrow lanes and a lack of overtaking opportunities,” Dr Kane said.
“Wet weather leading to potholes and road damage are also very common.
“We need targeted investment to ensure upgrades are dedicated to safety, maintenance, resilience and strengthening of regional roads, especially with traffic increasing and more frequent and extreme weather events expected in years to come.”
The Bruce Highway was nominated as most unroadworthy road in 2016 and in 2018. It was second worst in 2020 and has featured highly in all Unroadworthy Roads surveys since 2001.
A Transport and Main Roads spokesperson said the department was investing heavily in upgrades to Kin Kin Road, including:
- widening 800m near Williams Road, to improve safety – work started in June 2022 and is expected to be complete in coming months, weather and conditions permitting;
- replacing the narrow, timber bridge at Six Mile Creek with a significantly wider, two-lane, concrete bridge – work started in October 2022 and expected to take 18 months to complete;
- sealing 8km between Sheppersons Lane, Kin Kin, and Mill Street, Pomona, to waterproof – completed in December 2022;
- survey, design and investigation works for two future widening and strengthening projects from Sallwood Court to Turnbull Road and Williams Road to Western Branch Road.
The TMR spokesperson said Old Maroochydore Road continued to be monitored and assessed for future improvements by the department.
“A preliminary design is also underway to upgrade the Maroochydore Road, Pike Street and Killick Street intersection at Kunda Park as part of a long-term strategic vision,” they said.
The spokesperson said weather patterns had played a part in road conditions.
“In recent years, Queensland roads have been exposed to above-average rainfall due to the prevailing La Nina weather pattern,” they said.
“This accelerates the creation of potholes, which increases maintenance requirements. Where significant damage has occurred, temporary repairs are undertaken to return roads to a safe and trafficable condition until full reconstruction can be completed.”
Dr Kane said RACQ members’ criticism of the Bruce Highway stretches from southeast Queensland to far north Queensland.
“Even with significant amounts of funding being directed to the Bruce Highway over many years, recent rain and flooding, combined with heavy traffic, has resulted in potholes and other surface damage,” Dr Kane said.
“Respondents pointed out a range of issues with the Bruce Highway, saying some sections are too narrow, riddled with potholes, lack safe overtaking opportunities and easily flood.
“There were some parts of the highway that received more nominations than others, especially around Rockhampton, the stretch from Mackay to Bowen and Ingham to Innisfail.
“We know there’s a lot of work being done on the Bruce Highway but RACQ is calling for these upgrades to be delivered faster, especially with the recent flooding, which caused significant disruptions up north just weeks ago.”
RACQ has provided the survey results to the Department of Transport and Main Roads and relevant councils in a bid to identify and fast-track upgrades to these dangerous roads.
To read the full report click here.
In its response, a TMR spokesperson said the Bruce Highway is Queensland’s major north-south freight and commuter corridor, connecting coastal population centres from Brisbane to Cairns over 1673km.
The Australian and Queensland governments are continuing to future-proof the national highway as part of the 15-year, $13 billion Bruce Highway Upgrade Program.
“The Bruce Highway Upgrade Program is Queensland’s largest road infrastructure program. It is aimed at improving safety, flood resilience and capacity. There are currently 45 projects underway on the Bruce Highway,” they said.
“Over the next four years, the Queensland Government is investing $29.7 billion in transport and road projects across the state.”
The spokesperson said safety of road users was the TMR’s number one priority.
“Our crews and contractors regularly patrol state-controlled roads to identify potholes and undertake repairs,” they said.
“Generally, repairs on potholes are carried out within 48 hours of identification. If the pothole is not repairable within this timeframe, signs or traffic control are deployed.
“We all have a role to play in road safety and motorists are reminded to stick to the speed limits, abide by the road rules and drive to conditions.”
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