SoulVision

Why would that bridge cost half a billion dollars?? that seems like a lot of money to me for a single bridge...

Thanks for posting rockvegas.

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Rockvegas

Bypass is highway robbery to motel




October 13, 2008



Sun Palms Motel manager Janet Clark understands a bypass is needed but fears it will ruin her business.


SUN Palms Motel manager Janet Clark has grave fears that any bypass built around Rockhampton to eliminate the city's future traffic jams could ruin her business.

Rockhampton Regional Council is considering several bypass options that will remove 10,000 vehicles a day from the city.

They are outlined in the 2008 Rockhampton Traffic Study by ARUP.

The "best outcome" option is one proposed to be built east or west of the city's airport - a western alignment of the Bruce Highway between Olive Street in the north and the Capricorn Highway.

Ms Clark she said it was definitely possible the proposed bypass would be detrimental to business.

On Saturday night, eight families stopped into the 45-room motel for an overnight stay.

"The bypass should be for heavy vehicles only," Ms Clark said.

"I don't know if there's a possibility for them to do that, but I don't see why not.
"We definitely wouldn't want to lose business because of it & no motel owner or manager would want that to happen."

Ms Clark lives at Gracemere and drives to work in Rockhampton every day.

She said the 18 minute trip was often made longer by wide loads slowly negotiating the Yeppen roundabout at the city's entrance.

"There's definitely an issue with wide loads and heavy vehicles travelling through the city," Ms Clark said.

In the study, ARUP said the airport option "provides long-term relief of both the existing river crossings with the Neville Hewitt Bridge forecast to be 10% lower than existing levels in 2021 and the Fitzroy Bridge 6%".

However, the airport option has a number of flooding and terrain issues that need to be addressed.

Another option that "would provide for efficient movement of long-distance travel free from the stop/start nature of the Bruce Highway through Rockhampton" is the Western Street alternative.

It would be built between the Bruce Highway at Olive Street and the Capricorn Highway to the east of the airport along the Western Street alignment.

Ultimately the report's authors said the advantage of having an alternative Bruce Highway alignment out of the city would remove the rail corridor from Rockhampton and result in fewer delays for traffic.

Mayor Brad Carter said while it was too early to say which bypass would be built, there was no doubt that one was needed.

"Now that we have the ARUP report we have to sit down to consider all the (bypass) options. We also need to get public consultation," Cr Carter said.

"Rockhampton absolutely needs a bypass. We have to face up to the reality that with the expected population and economic growth that there is a need for a bypass.

"But I think that with the expected economic growth, the impact of the bypass on businesses will be minimal.

"Sure, some businesses will always come up with arguments that it will take customers away, but I think with the economic growth businesses will still benefit from it."

Cr Carter said given construction of the bypass would probably not start until 2016, the community had eight years to prepare for it.

Member for Capricornia Kirsten Livermore has recently discussed the bypass and third bridge recommendations in Canberra.

A spokesman for Ms Livermore said the "more interesting" option was to run road and rail transport across from the Mount Morgan turnoff through Cawarral to Artillery Road and back to the Bruce Highway.

He said the option of west of the airport would not take the cattle trucks out of the city.
The airport option would also divert most traffic out of Rockhampton and the Capricorn Coast, he said

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Rockvegas

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Hirvam.it

Lol the Rockhampton Bulletin sucks, Lol at the layout, "Do you want longer Sex" "Cheaper Grog" god! What a shocker. Is there need for the bridge? I thought the traffic volume just isnt there?

Rockvegas

Probably not right now as peak hour traffic to the city is only around 25-30 minutes and only 22,000 cars travel over the bridges each day, but I guess it all has to do with the planning of infrastructure for the future, it is better to fix the the problem of the city turning into gridlock before if actually happens.

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