Betterment project to boost Cloncurry road’s resilience

Mount Isa-Duchess Road in Cloncurry Shire will be upgraded with a multi-million Betterment investment to strengthen the vital rural connector road against future severe weather. 

Sections of the road, a critical link for Cloncurry’s agriculture and mining industries, are unsealed and vulnerable to prolonged flooding brought on by annual monsoonal conditions.

Approximately 25 kilometres of the northwest Queensland road will be sealed, with the all-weather access allowing traffic to keep moving for more of the year.

Sealing this section of the Mount Isa-Duchess Road will reduce economic disruption suffered by freight operators, farmers and businesses in the region due to road closures caused by natural disasters. 

As a vital transport corridor in the Cloncurry Shire, the upgrades will also provide enhanced, long-term flood resilience for local communities by lessening the impacts of severe weather and helping them bounce back faster following disasters.

This Betterment project is delivered under the $450 million Resilience and Risk Reduction Program (QRRRP), which is strengthening the disaster resilience of regional Queensland.   

It builds on recent QRRRP announcements, bringing the combined value of these projects to $43.8 million.  

Proactive investments through the QRRRP are currently delivering benefits throughout rural and regional Queensland, strengthening public safety, protecting critical infrastructure and supporting local industries. 

The QRRRP is funded through efficiencies realised under the joint Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).