The Palaszczuk Government’s $15 million road depot at the Sunshine Coast has officially opened.
The new hub for road building on the Sunshine Coast will see more than 125 jobs based at the Bells Creek facility, which will service the Department of Transport and Main Roads’ maintenance operations from Caboolture to Gympie and west to Blackbutt.
Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said Maroochydore-based company Badge Constructions carried out the multi-million build, supporting 500 jobs in the process.
“It’s part of the Palaszczuk Government’s $3.13 billion, four-year roads and transport program for the region,” Mr Bailey said.
“We’re combining the previous depots at Jowarra Park and Kunda Park to improve response times for the region’s 1,240km network of roads.
The purpose-built depot includes a 2690sqm warehouse, 1170sqm workshop and 1570sqm office building, truck and vehicle parking areas, material storage and plant washdown facilities.
It also includes a covered paint recycling system for line-marking operations, solar power and rainwater reuse facilities.
“Through local business, our RoadTek team and regional councils the Palaszczuk Government’s road maintenance program is employing bitumen rollers, local grader operators, steel fixers, diesel fitters, machine operators and engineers.
“We back our road builders by investing in RoadTek and roads, unlike the LNP who sacked 700 RoadTek staff and gutted the state’s road budget by more than half a billion dollars.
“Major projects like this and the $812 million Bruce Highway upgrade from the Sunshine Motorway to Caloundra Road are not just paving the way for congestion-busting roads, but also paving the way for jobs on the Sunshine Coast.
“From the Far North to the South East and West, the Palaszczuk Government is on a maintenance blitz with more than 6,600 Queensland workers laying the bitumen and grading our roads.”
Construction of the new Sunshine Coast RoadTek facility was delivered in partnership by QBuild and locally based tradies.
Minister for Housing and Public Works Mick de Brenni said that the RoadTek depot was part of the Palaszczuk Government’s successful first phase of Project Bank Accounts.
“This is not only a great new asset for the Sunny Coast, but all of the 500 workers on site at the RoadTek depot were paid on time and in full.
“We’ll be continuing this roll out over the next 24 months to cover government and private sites to ensure Queensland workers paid properly for the work they do.
