TYPE two road trains will soon be able to travel through Roma without decoupling, thanks to $480,000 in funding announced this week by Main Roads minister Mark Bailey.
Mr Bailey told the Bush Councils convention in St George that the money would be put towards road safety and productivity improvements through Roma and between Charleville and Morven.
“Road train drivers will no longer have to reconfigure vehicles to travel through Roma,” he said.
Type two vehicles will only be allowed through Roma from 6pm to 6am under the trial.
Member for Warrego Ann Leahy also attended the conference and said she had been pushing hard for these changes.
“It wasn’t in the budget but our lobbying means this funding is now on the table,” she said, referring to efforts to get representatives of the Livestock Transporters Association of Queensland to meet with the minister.
Trucks would not have to make as many trips through Roma in order to collect trailers, thus taking them off the road, Ms Leahy said.
“It’s a win-win for everyone,” she said.
“When you consider the long-term benefits, it creates lots of savings.”
As well as widening two corners in Roma to allow for triple road train turning circles, changes will be made to roads in Charleville to allow trucks to turn from the Mitchell Highway onto the Warrego Highway.
Road trains are currently detouring north to Augathella and then south east to Morven as they’re not able to get around this corner safely.
Murweh CEO Neil Polglase said this would make an enormous difference to productivity.
“The bypass adds 200km to their trips,” he said.
“As well as that, with the Angellala bridge revamp, it’s going to make the Mitchell-Warrego Highway route a major travel route now.”