We have received the following response from the Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey MP, in response to questions about maintenance costs and other matters related to Kin Kin Rd, below:
The Palaszczuk Government remains committed to its responsibility to maintain Kin Kin Road, as part of the state-controlled network. In this regard, the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) will continue to undertake the maintenance required in line with the use and needs of the road. This is accommodated within TMR’s North Coast Region’s existing maintenance budget.
Like many roads in South East Queensland, the extreme rain event in late February 2022 impacted Kin Kin Road, resulting in road and bridge closures at several locations due to flooding. Maintenance expenditure for 2021-2022 is expected to increase due to remedial works required in response to the extreme rain event.
As previously advised by TMR, there is an increasing trend in maintenance expenditure on Kin Kin Road over at least the past five years. Routine maintenance expenditure may be influenced by many factors, including traffic conditions, asset characteristics, weather and extreme events, climate and ground conditions, and community sentiment. As well as road surface repairs, routine maintenance includes functions like drainage maintenance and improvements, vegetation maintenance, litter collection, and signage cleaning and replacement. Therefore, the increased maintenance costs cannot exclusively be attributed to the increase in quarry haulage activity.
In the 2020-21 financial year, TMR invested just over $1.2 million into routine maintenance activities on Kin Kin Road. This reflects TMR’s commitment to maintain Kin Kin Road in a safe and serviceable condition and its increased efforts to meet community expectations. In the 2020-21 financial year, just over $400,000 was spent on a proactive drainage maintenance improvement program of works to help reduce the risk of pavement damage.
I have enclosed a graph of TMR’s data for maintenance expenditure for Kin Kin Road over the last five years, noting that 2020-21 including more than $400,000 of proactive drainage improvement works, and 2021-22 is a year-to-date figure (as at 25 January 2002).
Detailed design is progressing for a $6million road widening upgrade project to improve safety on Kin Kin Rd. Road widening works are planned for approximately 800 metres of Kin Kin Road, through the Kin Kin range. Works will take place on the section from Turnbull Road to just north of Williams Rd, adjacent to a section of the road that was widened in 2012. The project will also help reduce future maintenance needs and costs through this section. This $6 million project is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments as part of the Road Safety Project.
TMR is also looking into potential funding options for works on Kin Kin Road under Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements, if applicable, following the extreme rain event in late February 2022 that impacted Kin Kin Road, resulting in road and bridge closures due to flooding.
Department of Transport and Main Roads maintenance expenditure for Kin Kin Road over the last five years
Please note that 2020-2021 included more than $400,000 of proactive drainage improvements, and 2021-2022 is a year-to-date figure (as at 25 January 2022). Maintenance Expenditure for 2021-2022 is expected to increase due to remedial works required in response to the extreme rain event of February 2022.
For this reason, this graph should not be shared without the other information provided, as it may be taken out of context and not reflect the situation accurately.
Further to the above, our office is awaiting responses on other matters relating to Kin Kin Rd and will continue to update as more information becomes available.
To contact the office of the Minister for Transport direct, please email transportandmainroads@ministerial.qld.gov.au.
To contact our local TMR office, please email northcoast@tmr.qld.gov.au