Northern Australia Roads Program and Northern Australia Beef Roads Program
Northern Australia Roads Program
About the program
The $600 million Northern Australia Roads Program is delivering upgrades to high priority roads in northern Australia essential to the movement of people and freight to support the North's economic development.
Roads identified in Infrastructure Australia's Northern Australia Audit, along with other roads identified as priorities by the states and territories, such as those connecting communities, or regional towns to ports, were considered for funding.
Works undertaken include upgrades and safety and productivity improvements, such as road widening, overtaking lane construction and pavement renewal.
The Australian Government announced 19 projects to be funded under the Northern Australia Roads Program throughout 2016. In 2020, the Australian Government committed to deliver Stage 2 of the Great Northern Highway Upgrade Ord River North using savings that were realised following completion of other Northern Australia Roads Program projects in Western Australia.
See below for a list of projects:
Projects
Queensland
- Flinders Highway (Townsville – Torrens Creek): Pavement strengthening and rehabilitation (Package 1).
- Flinders Highway – (Charters Towers to Richmond): Replacement of culverts.
- Capricorn Highway (Rockhampton—Gracemere): Duplicate the section of the Capricorn Highway between Rockhampton and Gracemere.
- Kennedy Developmental Road (Mount Garnet – The Lynd): Widening a section of road from a single lane seal to a two-lane seal between Mount Garnet and The Lynd.
- Kennedy Developmental Road (The Lynd – Hughenden): Upgrading sections of the Kennedy Developmental Road known locally as the Hann Highway.
- Barkly Highway (Cloncurry – Mount Isa): Intersection upgrades in Mount Isa urban area.
- Bowen Developmental Road: Progressive sealing and minor drainage improvements.
- Landsborough Highway (Longreach – Winton): Pavement widening and strengthening.
- Peak Downs Highway (Clermont – Nebo): Logan Creek to Nine Mile Creek: Pavement widening and strengthening.
- Rockhampton (Bajool – Port Alma Road): Pavement widening and safety upgrades to the port access road.
Northern Territory
- Plenty Highway: Progressive sealing and flood immunity improvements.
- Tjukaruru Road: Sealing and upgrades to an unsealed section of the road.
- Upgrade of Keep River Plains Road: Upgrades to the Keep River Plains Road to support Project Sea Dragon and the development of Ord Stage 3.
- Adelaide River Floodplain Upgrade Arnhem Highway: Upgrades to the Arnhem Highway, improving the flood immunity at the Adelaide River floodplain to provide all-weather access between the Stuart Highway and Mount Bundy.
- Buntine Highway Road Upgrading: Pavement strengthening, widening and sealing on priority sections.
Western Australia
- Great Northern Highway Upgrade – Maggie Creek to Wyndham: Widening and reconstruction works and improvements to road alignments on the Wyndham Spur.
- Marble Bar Road (Coongan Gorge): Realignment and reconstruction works.
- Great Northern Highway (Bow River Bridge): Replacement of the existing low-level single lane bridge with a new two-lane high-level bridge.
- Broome-Cape Leveque Road: Road re-construction and re-alignment.
- Great Northern Highway Upgrade Ord River North Section (Stage 2): Widening and reconstruction works, including building a new bridge over Tickalara Creek.
Benefits
The Northern Australia Roads Program will help improve the North's transport network and as a result support economic development and improve safety for all road users.
Funding
The Australian Government will fund up to a maximum of 80 per cent of the total project cost in partnership with the state, territory and local governments.
Timetable
Funding is currently available from 2016-17 until 2022-23.
Map
Map of Northern Australia Roads and Beef Roads Programs PDF: 15603 KB 
Northern Australia Beef Roads Program
About the program
The Australian Government announced projects to be funded under the Northern Australia Beef Roads Program in October 2016.
The $100 million program is making targeted upgrades to key roads necessary for transporting cattle to improve the reliability, productivity and resilience of cattle supply chains in northern Australia, thereby reducing freight costs and strengthening links to markets.
To help identify priority projects, the Australian Government actively engaged with key stakeholders, including members of the northern Australian beef and transport industries, through a series of stakeholder roundtables held in Rockhampton, Kununurra and Darwin throughout late in 2015 and early in 2016.
The CSIRO analysed and modelled the different scenarios put forward by state, territory and local governments using the Transport Network Strategic Investment Tool (TraNSIT) to determine the extent of benefits to the movement of cattle and assist in the prioritisation of projects.
Projects
Queensland
- Rockhampton Road Network—Road Train Access (Stage 2): Upgrading between Gracemere saleyards and the Rockhampton abattoirs to provide access for Type 1 Road Trains.
- Burke Developmental Road: Chillagoe to Almaden (Package 1): Progressive sealing works.
- Burke Developmental Road: Chillagoe to Almaden (Package 2): Progressive sealing works.
- Clermont: Alpha Road (Package 1): Progressive sealing works.
- Clermont: Alpha Road (Package 2): Progressive sealing works.
- Clermont: Alpha Road (Package 3): Progressive sealing works.
- Ootann Rd: Almaden to Kennedy Hwy (Gunnawarra) (Package 1): Progressive sealing works.
- Ootann Rd: Almaden to Kennedy Hwy (Gunnawarra) (Package 2): Progressive sealing works.
- Gregory Developmental Road (South of Charter Towers): Widening a section of the Gregory Developmental Road, approximately 2 kilometres south of Cape River.
- Richmond-Croydon Road (Package 1): Progressive sealing works.
- Richmond-Croydon Road (Package 2): Progressive sealing works.
- Cloncurry: Dajarra Road: Progressive sealing works.
- Diamantina Developmental Road (Boulia: Dajarra): Rehabilitation and widening works.
- Richmond: Winton Road (Package 1): Progressive sealing works.
- Richmond: Winton Road (Package 2): Progressive sealing works.
Northern Territory
- Barkly Stock Route: Upgrading a section of the Barkly Stock Route to a two-lane standard seal.
- Tablelands Highway: Upgrading selected sections of the Tablelands Highway to a two-lane sealed standard.
Western Australia
- Great Northern Highway Ord River North (Stage 1): The project is Stage 1 of the upgrade of the Great Northern Highway Ord River North Section. It will widen, overlay, reconstruct and realign 8 kilometres on the Great Northern Highway.
Benefits
The Northern Australia Beef Roads Program will improve the resilience of cattle supply chains in northern Australia by upgrading key cattle roads, improving safety, whilst reducing vehicle operating and maintenance costs, and seasonal road closures.
Funding
The Australian Government will fund up to a maximum of 80 per cent of the total project cost in partnership with the state, territory and local governments.
Timetable
Funding is currently available from 2016-17 until 2021-22.
Map
Map of Northern Australia Roads and Beef Roads Programs PDF: 15603 KB .