News
22 January, 2025
A Ring Road highway
State Member for Glass House Andrew Powell is adamant his ‘Ring Road’ proposal remains the best solution to the Stage 4 section of the Bruce Highway Western Alternative (BHWA) route.
It comes as the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) continues its scope into a new BHWA route, following the official scrapping of the original proposal put forward by the previous Labor government.
The ‘Ring Road’ proposal put forward by Mr Powell last year, would push the BHWA further west from the recently scrapped route, potentially only resulting in the resumption of roughly 20 properties, compared to the previous 120+ homes.
The proposal would see the route head north from the D’Aguilar Highway, following the transmission line and passing just to the west of the chicken farm at the southern end of Boden Road.
As much as possible, the route should avoid the existing rural residential properties on Boden Road, potentially transversing parallel to Boden Road on its west through to Kind Road.
off-take to farmers in the Wamuran area.
It should pass to the east of Mount Miketeebumulgrai and follow the alignment of Williams Road to its intersection with Twin View Road.
From there, the route could traverse pine plantations until it joins the former TMR proposed Route 1, north of MacDougall Road.
The State would need to find a replacement parcel of land to offset any impact on HQ Plantations operations in the Beerburrum region.
“We need to maintain that prime agricultural land that now has water security. And we need to be mindful of the environmental constraints around Mt Miketeebumulgrai and Lagoon Creek,” Mr Powell told The Sentinel.
“I stand by my ‘ring road’ proposal - a route that would eventually see refine alternatives.
potentially being able to then be considered for urban development in the longer term.
Mr Powell added that he did not support any route that bisected these farms, as it would fragment them too much to support ongoing operations.
“I’ve always said we need the Bruce Highway Western Alternative. We can’t keep adding lanes to the Bruce.
“I know TMR are now factoring all of this, and the reams of feedback given during the last consultation process, into their considerations and we hope to progress further discussions with the community in the next couple of months,” he said.
land to offset any impact on HQ Plantations operations in the Beerburrum region.
Mr Powell said he did not support any route further west, as it would jeopardise a large Unitywater investment in the Wamuran Recycled Water Irrigation Scheme, which sees the construction and operation of a recycled water pipeline that provides beneficial development and housing on the eastern and southern side of the new road and agriculture and forestry on the western and northern side.
According to Mr Powell’s proposal, only three family farms would be ‘inside’ the route, currently sitting between Boden and Williams Roads and Alcock Road, with these properties.
Highway itself - we would just be creating a bigger car park,” he said.
“We need to give road users a genuine alternative, so there needs to be corridor protection and that will mean resumptions.”
Mr Powell reassured locals that he was “in regular contact” with residents and farmers as the State Government looked to.
“I can assure the community, this will be done in a far more respectful manner than the previous efforts.”
A TMR spokesperson said investigations into an alternative route for the BHWA Stage 4 between Moodlu and Beerburrum are being finalised, with a more detailed project update expected in the coming months.
The spokesperson added that the BHWA is a long-term planning project to “identify and protect” a corridor for the future Moreton Motorway, with any part of the construction expected to be more than a decade away.
“TMR acknowledges the sensitive nature of planning for a new transport corridor and appreciate there are concerns about potential property impacts,” they said.
“Investigations are being progressed as a priority to provide more certainty for landowners in the area.”
