Local road maintenance in Bonner will receive a boost thanks to funding under the Australian Government’s Roads to Recovery Program.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said the Australian Government would deliver over $171.1 million to 344 local government authorities nationwide for safer and better-maintained roads.

“The Roads to Recovery funding in Bonner will allow councils across the area to progress a number of high-priority projects, using local knowledge to deliver the best local roads,” Mr Vasta said.

“The Australian Government is committed to getting Australians home sooner and safer, no matter where they live.”

This payment includes the final instalment of the Government’s $138.9 million additional funding for the 128 Local Government Areas eligible for the Drought Communities Program Extension.

Brisbane City Council received $3 million under the program which was used to upgrade Player Street in Bonner.

The project included extending Player Street to provide a connection with Kessells Road in Upper Mt Gravatt to improve safety access.

Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister Kevin Hogan said the Australian Government has committed an additional $100 million per year to the Roads to Recovery Program from 2019–20, as part of the Local and State Government Road Safety Package announced in the 2019–20 Budget.

“From 2013–14 to 2023–24, the Government will provide $6.2 billion under the Roads to Recovery Program, with an ongoing commitment of $500 million each year following,” Mr Hogan said.

“We are investing in infrastructure nationwide in order to lay the foundations for economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“Assisting local councils to maintain and improve roads under their jurisdiction is a big part of that, which is why we have also funded a new $1.5 billion Local Road and Community Infrastructure Program and brought forward $1.3 billion of the 2020–21 Financial Assistance Grant payment.”

Mr Hogan said Roads to Recovery investments deliver safer roads in local government areas throughout the country.

“In order to meet the anticipated strong demand for Roads to Recovery for 2020–21, the Australian Government has brought forward $22.75 million to be available to councils to claim this financial year, for a total of $592.18 million in 2020–21,” Mr Hogan said.

“The Australian Government supports local governments to provide vital infrastructure and services through a range of programs.

“This support includes Financial Assistance Grants and the Bridges Renewal, Black Spot, Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity and Roads to Recovery programs.”

More information on these programs is available at www.infrastructure.gov.au.

The dangerous London and Stanbrough roads intersection in Belmont will get a much needed safety upgrade thanks to the Morrison Government’s Black Spot Program.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said he had delivered $905,000 to upgrade the black spot intersection to help commuters in his electorate get home safer and sooner.

“We’ve seen some nasty accidents at the London and Stanbrough roads intersection in the past,” Mr Vasta said.

“I’ve been working with Cr Murphy to ensure we can deliver this project with Brisbane City Council’s support to provide road users with a safe intersection, which can get quite busy around the peak hour commute.”

Mr Vasta said the Morrison Government’s Black Spot Program would reduce accidents and injuries by an estimated 30 percent across Queensland.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said Queensland would receive $25.3 million over two years under the latest round of program funding.

“The Federal Government’s record investment into upgrading roads is saving lives right across the nation,” Mr McCormack said.

Brisbane City Councillor Ryan Murphy (Chandler Ward) said the intersection was well known to motorists for its difficult navigation.

“This intersection is notorious, we’ve had fatalities here in the past,” Cr Murphy said.

“The Black Spot funding Brisbane City Council will be receiving will go a long way to make this intersection safe for motorist.”

The Black Spot Program upgrade for the London and Stanbrough road intersection includes:

• Installation of splitter islands
• Re-surfacing, kerbing and channelling
• Re-grading
• Upgrade to traffic signs and line markings
• Installation of pedestrian refuges

The turn-up-and-go Brisbane Metro public transport system has notched up another milestone with early works starting in South Brisbane.

Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Alan Tudge said the Brisbane Metro would get commuters home considerably quicker, with frequent peak hour services to be provided once the project is completed.

“New high-frequency services will link with suburban bus and train services, really helping to connect the city to the suburbs and easing congestion bottlenecks,” Mr Tudge said.

Federal Member for Brisbane Trevor Evans said the project was a great example of what could be achieved when different levels of government work together.

“The $944 million Brisbane Metro project has been jointly funded by the Australian Government and Brisbane City Council, with the Australian Government committing $300 million, and the Brisbane City Council providing the remaining funds,” Mr Evans said.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta said the early works were part of the first stage of the project, which would connect 18 stations along dedicated busways between Eight Mile Plains and Roma Street, and Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and University of Queensland.

“There will also be a new fleet of comfortable electric metro vehicles, with USB charging points, on board Wi-Fi and large doors for quicker boarding,” Mr Vasta said.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the early works included geotechnical investigations, sewer pump station construction, piling and excavations had started on the mass public transport system.

“This is a critical milestone for the Brisbane Metro. We have work ramping up at the Rochedale depot and now early works underway in the city centre to allow for the new underground station,’’ Cr Schrinner said.

“This project is creating jobs and a world-class public transport system to ensure residents get home quicker and safer, while also catering for future city growth.

“The new underground station at the Cultural Centre will be a key part of Brisbane’s greater transport network and will help link the city to the suburbs, making it easier for you to connect to the people and places you love.”

Once the pump station is built, Alexander Smith Place Park will be rejuvenated with plants, new street furniture and a drinking fountain.

The sewer pump station works are expected to take 12 months to complete at a construction cost of approximately $8.7 million, jointly funded by Council and Urban Utilities.

In November, Cr Schrinner announced the new fleet of 60 high-capacity Metro vehicles would be fully electric and have zero tail-pipe emissions, with the first pilot vehicle to be built by world-leading electric vehicle manufacturers HESS and its partners.

An initial pilot vehicle is expected to arrive in Brisbane in 2020 to commence testing in local operating conditions.

Brisbane Metro services are expected to begin by late 2023.

Local road maintenance in the Bonner electorate will receive a boost thanks to funding under the Australian Government’s Roads to Recovery Program.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta MP said the program would help deliver a much-needed upgrade to Player Street in Upper Mount Gravatt.

“This project will extend Player Street to provide a connection with Kessels Road, with the Morrison Government committing $3.8 million to the project,” Mr Vasta said.

“Work will involve constructing the new road link from the existing intersection of Kessels Road and MacGregor Street through to Player Street.

“The work will also include removing the existing traffic signals at the Kessels Road and Cremin Street intersection, and providing left-in only access to Cremin Street.”

Mr Vasta said in total the Australian Government would deliver over $139.6 million to 310 local government authorities nationwide for safer and better-maintained roads.

“The Roads to Recovery funding will allow councils across the area to progress a number of high-priority projects, using local knowledge to deliver the best local roads,” Mr Vasta said.

MacGregor Ward Councillor Steven Huang said this jointly funded Australian Government and Brisbane City Council project would improve local roads and reduce congestion for residents.

“It’s great to see a joint approach to this road project which will improve safety, reduce queue lengths and delays and provide better access to and from the residential catchment north of Kessels Road,” Cr Huang said.

“Every day Council works with local residents and other levels of government to deliver the infrastructure our growing city needs, and the Player Street upgrade is a great example of this.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack MP said the Australian Government had committed an additional $100 million per year to the Roads to Recovery Program from 2019–20, as part of the Local and State Government Road Safety Package announced in the 2019–20 Budget.

“From 2013–14 to 2023–24, the Government will provide $6.2 billion under the Roads to Recovery Program, with an ongoing commitment of $500 million each year following,” Mr McCormack said.

Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister Andrew Gee MP said the Australian Government was committed to getting Australians home sooner and safer, no matter where they lived.

“Our Roads to Recovery investments will deliver safer roads in local government areas throughout the country,” Mr Gee said.

The Australian Government supports local governments to provide vital infrastructure and services through Financial Assistance Grants, and the Bridges Renewal, Black Spot, Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity and Roads to Recovery programs.

More information on these programs is available at www.infrastructure.gov.au.

Federal Member for Bonner Ross Vasta took Alan Tudge Minister for Urban Infrastructure, Cities and Population on a tour of Bonner today stopping at the local accident hotspot Newnham, Wecker rd intersection in Mount Gravatt East.

Mr Vasta explained that the local intersection is ranked one of the top five worst intersections in Queensland, and the community demands it be fixed.

“Thousands of locals have already signed my petition to have this issue fixed, and today I had the opportunity to show the Minister first hand why I’m fighting for a solution.

“Near misses and crashes are all too common at Newnham/Wecker Rd. Parents are trying to drop their young children at the school on the corner and having to deal with this mess, while paramedics are constantly being called out to accidents.” Mr Vasta said.

Minister Tudge thanked Mr Vasta for showing him the intersection and said after seeing the issues personally he knows why it’s a big issue for the community.

“Ross has expressed to me that this is one of the top priorities for local residents. We want to deal with congestion across the nation, and this is a project we will look at closely.”

The Minister said following today’s visit he will be working alongside Mr Vasta and the Brisbane City Council to investigate a solution for the intersection.