Palmwoods
District News

November
1998

Page 2

Overpass tenders called

The notorious intersection claims yet another victim - this time the Palmwoods District News' Nerida Hemingway.

TENDERS have been called for construction of an overpass at the Keil Mountain - Palmwoods crossroads on Nambour Connection Road.

Costings for the project have now been revised from $8 million to $6.5million.

Transport and Main Roads Minister Steve Bredhauer said construction could start as early as January next year, once tenders were assessed and contracts awarded. It is scheduled for completion by September next year.

"This project will greatly improve safety at an intersection that has a history of accidents,’’ he said.

The intersection claimed another two victims last month and the Blackall Street intersection at Woombye also recorded two accidents in as many weeks.

Mr Bredhauer said Main Roads was also taking steps to address the issued of speeding along the Nambour Connection Road.

He said Main Roads was about to start a planning study to examine upgrading requirements for other key intersections along the road.

Palmwoods Progress Association, which has been actively lobbying for action to be taken at the intersection for the past four years, has given a cautious welcome to the news.

"While we are pleased that work is finally going to get underway on the intersection, we are not satisfied that this is the best possible solution," president Ron Corelli said.

"There is still almost a year to wait for the situation to be resolved, assuming it meets its deadlines, and we have to ask how much havoc can be caused in that time. On top of that we have the situation worsening daily at other intersections."

Mr Corelli said it was disappointing that Main Roads had categorically ruled out traffic lights, aiming to keep the road an 80km/h zone but at the same time, putting in speed traps to ensure that speed was not exceeded.

"There is another agenda here somewhere," he said. "Other parts of the State with lesser problems have their situation resolved overnight by the installation of lights and yet we have to put up with danger and delays so that the road can remain high speed."

Mr Corelli said it appeared that Nambour Connection Road would be kept for traffic coming off the proposed six lane highway.

·=============== ===============·

Sunshine Coast
Index