Resilient design key to rebuild of vital regional road
Officially, the 18-kilometre Booyal Dallarnil Road is a rural arterial, but for locals in the Wide Bay-Burnett it’s infrastructure more vital.
Linking the Bruce and Isis Highways for the towns of Booyal, Dallarnil and their surrounds, the road is relied on by businesses and industry transporting freight, and also provides access to nearby Paradise Dam.
If the connector is closed, motorists will have to navigate an extra 24 kilometres when travelling between Booyal and Dallarnil, while a detour through Childers adds 37 kilometres to the trip.
In 2022, when much of the region was impacted by extensive flooding due to ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth and the South East Queensland Rainfall and Flooding event, these extended routes and longer travel times were a day-to-day reality for locals.
A section of Booyal Dallarnil Road north of Grills Road was particularly impacted by the deluges, which featured falls of 387mm on 8 January 2022 and a further 463mm on 25 February 2022.
Damage included severe scouring around culverts and floodways, pavement distress, and batter slips.
Immediately after both events, Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) crews completed emergency works to keep the road open.
However, a long-term fix was required, which led to major reconstruction works commencing in November 2023, following a detailed design and procurement process.
Repair works included the installation of concrete margins on the road shoulders and rock protection around culvert outlets to make the road more resilient to future flood events.
Funding was secured under the 2021-22 Betterment Fund, a Commonwealth-state initiative funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments through the joint Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Betterment funding allows councils and state agencies to improve roads, bridges and floodways to better withstand the impacts of natural disasters.
Since the first Betterment Fund was established in 2013, more than 750 Queensland projects across 75 local government areas have been approved, helping to create stronger, more resilient communities.
Complementary financial assistance from TMR's Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program (QTRIP) was used for work to strengthen the pavement with foamed bitumen to protect against saturation, and to install a guardrail for safety.
QTRIP funding supports work to make infrastructure more resilient to future disaster events and to improve recovery from natural disasters.
Reconstruction works on the Booyal Dallarnil Road were completed in April 2024, with further recovery works in the Wide Bay-Burnett region being undertaken progressively.
This includes fixing unstable slopes above roads, replacing damaged road surfaces, repairing damaged road shoulders, and replacing damaged culverts.
For up-to-date information about works on the state-controlled network call 13 19 40 or visit www.QLDTraffic.com.au.
For more information about Queensland Betterment Funds visit www.qra.qld.gov.au/betterment.
