YOU know our state is at a go-slow when already funded projects are left to sit on the shelf.
Now, I’m acutely aware that it isn’t quite as simple as rolling up with graders and excavators to get a road project under way, nor can you simply turn up and pour the concrete and throw up a new building.
However, when do you call it out when millions have been left unused for projects that are vitally needed in the Forde electorate.
Turns out five years is the line in this instance.
Firstly, I’ll commend Logan City Council for a lot of the work that they do.
But every time I’m in Park Ridge, most recently at a mobile office last Wednesday, there’s two topics that everyone wants to discuss.
Number one is Labor’s cost of living crisis and number two is roads.
When the coalition and I commit nearly $13 million to two projects out that way, we expected to see some movement.
Unfortunately for Forde residents, that’s not been the story.
I would like to share with you all a letter that I sent to Logan City Council in June.
A letter I’m yet to get acknowledgement for.
I am writing to request an update on two road projects funded by the coalition government which to date have not been delivered by Logan City Council.
The following projects received federal funding in 2019 and 2021 respectively and yet there appears to be no real progress by Logan City Council on their delivery.
Please provide a comprehensive update including the detailed design, pre-construction planning details, procurement of contractors and construction timelines on the following projects:
- Chambers Flat Road Upgrade – Park Ridge Road to Derby Road (Urban Congestion fund 2019) Federal Government contribution $11.5 million
- Park Ridge Road, Clarke Road, Lindenthal Road intersection signalisation (Black spot funding 2021) Federal Government contribution- $955,000
As both projects have been identified as not only necessary to improve road safety but vital to ensure roads are able to safely accommodate future traffic demands, it is difficult to understand how council is able to justify the lack of progress on delivering these projects within a reasonable timeframe.
I am sure that you would agree that after a five-year wait the community could at the very least expect a commitment to detailed delivery timeframes.
With a new school set to open on Park Ridge Road in 2025, time is of the essence.
