The Federal Government has committed $678 million to seal and upgrade the Outback Way, which stretches 2720km from Laverton in WA to Winton in Queensland.
The Commonwealth’s funding commitment represents 80 percent of the total funding package, with the WA, Qld and NT governments providing the remaining 20 percent.
The Mayor of Queensland’s Boulia Shire Council, Rick Britton, welcomed the announcement, telling a media outlet the money allowed the project to go “from a pipe dream to now a reality”.
“As far as we’re concerned in a remote rural area you have to have a road corridor first and then you can build things around that. It’s a bit like a chicken and an egg,” he said.
“For someone to come and stay in our community, they have to be able to leave in any given time or weather. A sealed road will give that connectivity.”
Around 1000km of the road link known as Australia’s longest shortcut remains unsealed, while sections of the route along the Plenty Highway and Tjukaruru Road in the Northern Territory need upgrades.
The 872km of the Outback Way stretching across WA is expected to be sealed by 2030.
In other road funding news, more jointly funded Road Safety Program projects have been announced in Queensland ($209 million), Tasmania ($13.3 million), NSW ($78 million), Victoria ($57.6 million), and South Australia ($52.7 million).
Click here to read the latest funding announcements.