Green light for Warrego Highway upgrade

Approval has been granted for the first stage of Queensland's Warrego Highway Upgrade Package

Authorities have signed off on the first stage of a major upgrade to Queensland's Warrego Highway, with the work commencing with the duplication of 5.7 kilometres of the arterial between Charlton and Cotswold Hills, west of Toowoomba.

The section has been prioritised because it intersects with the proposed Toowoomba Second Range Crossing (proposed route pictured), which will see a 41 kilometre bypass built around Toowoomba to the city's north.

According to the Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Warren Truss, the section represents $110 million of the $635 million that will be spent on the full Warrego Highway Upgrade Package.

"The Warrego Highway connects the agricultural and resource regions west of Toowoomba to the Port of Brisbane, so the economic potential of these upgrades is enormous," he said.

"In fact, every dollar spent on this project will return to the economy more than five times the cost of our investment."

Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads Scott Emerson said the work would also enhance road safety significantly.

"The duplication will separate eastbound and westbound traffic, markedly reducing the chance of head-on collisions," he said.

"Truck drivers, farmers and commuters will all look forward to construction on the project starting early next year, with completion due at the end of 2016."

Green light for Warrego Highway upgrade

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