Federal Transport Minister Michael McCormack last week agreed to "have a look at" traffic safety concerns surrounding the proposed Walkerston Bypass near Mackay.
The Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads plan to force cumbersome farm vehicles to cross the planned new bypass via a staggered T-intersection has been of deep concern to local canegrowers and their lobby group, Canegrowers Mackay.
The group's chairman Kevin Borg described the intersection as an accident waiting to happen.
In December last year growers were left disillusioned after being told at a meeting with departmental representatives in state MP Julieanne Gilbert's Mackay electorate office that the concept of an underpass was "too hard" despite being not yet built.
Mr McCormack said last week that the federal government would work with local federal MP George Christensen to have a look at the issue and see what they could come up with.
At the same time, he said solutions always involved money and there had been a big call on federal funding, particularly in the last 12 months.
"We've had drought, into bushfires, into floods, into COVID-19, and it's been a very, very challenging year," he said.
While saying regional Australians would be the ones who would lead the country's recovery from COVID and natural disasters, and that projects that got shovels in the ground would get the country "out of this mess", Mr McCormack said they looked at lists and priorities.
"Where and when possible we work with the state government of course," he said.
"It can't always just be on the federal government to come up with all of the funding so we work very closely with the state governments.
"Every piece of road infrastructure spending that we do has a road safety component built into it, by its very nature, we're improving and bettering the road."
In 2016 George Christensen championed the $75 million investment by a re-elected Coalition government to support the development of the Walkerston Bypass.
He described it on his blog as an important and strategic project that would improve the connection of the Peak Downs Highway to the Bruce Highway and relieve Walkerston of heavy vehicle congestion, "improving safety for all road users".
LNP Member for Capricornia Michelle Landry was quoted on the blog as having campaigned to change heavy vehicle access onto the Peak Downs Highway near Walkerston for several years.
She said the $75 million investment was a fantastic result for families of school children around Walkerston.
"This project will kickstart an alternative route for heavy vehicles with dangerous loads that frequent this area," Ms Landry said.
"Too often I have heard of near misses and having seen the bottleneck first hand on many occasions, I fully appreciate the concerns locals hold about trucks driving on a narrow street past local schools and shops, to turn sharply onto Kirkup Bridge over Bakers Creek, to get on and off the Peak Downs Highway.
"The people of Walkerston have been living in fear because they feel it is only a matter of time before a major accident.
"I sincerely thank Graeme Ransley and the Road Accident Action Group for their consistent lobbying and research to help us deliver the initial funding for this project which is about keeping people safe and preventing serious accidents on our local roads."
In Rockhampton last week, Mr McCormack, together with Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz, announced $225m for Queensland under tranche one of the $2 billion Road Safety Program, joining a further $64.6 million to be provided by the Queensland government.
The funding will deliver key lifesaving improvements such as shoulder sealing, rumble strips to alert drivers they are moving out of their lane, median treatments to prevent head-on collisions and barriers to prevent run-off road crashes and protect against roadside hazards, Mr McCormack said.
"Of this $289.6 million, $267.4 million has been earmarked for regional Queensland, demonstrating the substantial focus we are placing on our regional communities.
"Road safety is everyone's responsibility and the Australian government is playing its part by investing heavily in road safety upgrades across Queensland."