General News
15 October, 2024
New England Hwy ranks fifth worst
The results of RACQ’s 2024 Unroadworthy Roads Survey have seen the New England Highway jump three positions in two years from the eighth to the fifth worst road in Queensland.
Results from the survey noted respondents identified that the New England Highway is in very poor condition.
It was nominated as being rough with potholes, an uneven/rutted surface, with poor shoulders and a lack of overtaking lanes, particularly south of Toowoomba to the Queensland border.
Flooding was also a concern.
In the section between Toowoomba and Warwick, survey respondents were particularly aggrieved by
the potholes between Warwick and Allora and lack of overtaking lanes in its entirety.
Local roads identified by respondents include:
Cambooya Connection Road - patch work road conditions
Cambooya Felton Road - poor maintenance, potholes
Toowoomba Athol Road (Gore Highway) - Old Wyreema Road (Toowoomba Karara Road) turnoff
Felton Clifton Road between Nobby and Kings Creek - Rough patches exacerbated by heavy truck traffic
Also in the Darling Downs, the Warrego Highway ranked sixth, the same as in 2022.
Safety and congestion concerns at intersections/inter-changes between Ipswich and Toowoomba were highlighted by respondents.
The worst road overall for Queensland was again the Bruce Highway, which received nearly twice as many “thumbs down” as any other road.
Across all roads, the most nominated problem identified by motorists was rough surfaces, followed by poor shoulders, narrow road/lanes, lack of overtaking opportunities and being flood prone.
RACQ has provided the survey results to the Department of Transport and Main Roads and relevant Councils and will use these findings to continue advocating for greater road funding in the lead up to the state and federal elections.
