Evaluation of funding justification of low volume roads in North Queensland

Abstract

The limited funding of low volume roads is a common problem faced by commuters in the North Queensland region. These roads are commonly narrow in seal and formation width and provide limited overtaking opportunities. In the future, improvements to their asset condition can be achieved by aligning their standards with the goals of the Rural Regional Implementation Scheme. These improvements would provide increased safety on these developmental roads, and ensure that funds were appropriately distributed throughout the link. In general, low volume roads are prioritised by treating the 'critical' sections, which are typically defined as containing poor asset conditions and high accident frequencies. The processes followed to compile this project were: - Conduct a literature review of the current practices employed on low volume roads. - Review the current strategy. - Review the practices employed by Main Roads. - Gather accident data for low volume roads in North Queensland. - Analyse the data collected. - Conduct an economic appraisal to support the improvements to the low volume roads. The data indicates that a high proportion of accidents have occurred on narrow sections of the pavement during the study period. The challenge in the future, is to establish suitable funding prioritisation procedures for these low volume roads with consideration being made to the social, environmental and economic factors of the community.