As part of the 2024/25 State Budget, the previous Government announced safety improvements to the area of Eumundi Noosa (EN) Road indicated on the above image. Further information on these works is available at www.tmr.qld.gov.au/projects/eumundi-noosa-road-emu-mountain-road-to-beckmans-road. Concerns have been raised that this project was not as urgent as other more pressing upgrades needed on other local state roads, which Sandy relayed to Transport and Main Roads (TMR) in June 2024. Whilst Sandy understands and shares resident frustration regarding, we need to clarify that there are different funding streams that are allocated for different purposes. This project is jointly funded by a Federal Government Program, with the objective of this specific fund being to enhance road safety on roads that have a showcased history of crashes or/and fatal and serious accidents.
Funding streams opened by the Federal Government, for other levels of Government to apply for, usually have a set criteria for applications to be successful. This means TMR could only apply for this funding for roads that fit this outline, such as EN Road, allowing these safety works to be actioned on a separate track to their other priorities, instead of having to wait many years to be able to complete them.
TMR’s response to Sandy’s advocacy in June 2024 is below, which also mentions the crash statistics and the reasons for these incidents that the works are stated to remedy.
We can advise that this project falls under the 2023-2025 Australian Government Road Safety Program. The program’s primary objective is to enhance road safety and reduce the incidence of fatal and serious injuries on Queensland’s roads.
To identify sections of road that would benefit from safety improvement works such as installing wide centre line treatments (WCLT), road widening or resurfacing, TMR reviews historic crash data. The Queensland Police Service crash data showed that for this section of road there was a total of 22 crashes with one fatality over a 10-year period. The predominant type of crashes in this section were run-off road incidents. Additionally, this section of Eumundi-Noosa Road was previously constructed to a rural road standard with a typical nine-metre seal and relatively narrow one-metre shoulders.
The implementation of low-cost safety improvements such as WCLT, pavement widening, and roadside hazard removal will reduce the incidence and severity of crashes at this location. A WCLT creates separation between vehicles travelling in opposite directions while wider shoulders give motorists an opportunity to readjust prior to leaving the road. Widening the road shoulder also provides safer conditions for bike riders.
During preliminary design, consideration was given to improving flood resilience along this stretch of road. It was determined that significant flood immunity upgrades were not feasible within the current scope and allocated budget for this safety-focused project.
We trust this information is of assistance when responding to your constituents’ enquiries. If you require additional information about the project, please contact my office on 5451 7055 or email northcoast@tmr.qld.gov.au.
Noosa State Electorate residents with further feedback or concerns regarding these works, please email us via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au so we can follow up with TMR, and to inform Sandy’s future efforts regarding.
Further information
To contact the Minister for Transport and Main Roads, email transportandmainroads@ministerial.qld.gov.au. Please copy in our office via noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au and forward us any response you receive.
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