August 26, 2025
Funding to upgrade Cooyar’s single-lane Back Creek Bridge, on the New England Highway south of the township, will be confirmed by the State Government in December.
Treasurer David Janetzki made the commitment during the News Corporation-sponsored “Bush Summit” in Toowoomba on Monday, which featured a string of guest speakers ranging from mining billionaire Gina Rinehart to One Nation founder Senator Pauline Hanson.
Mr Janetzki said the funding would be included in the Mid-Year Fiscal and Economic Review (MYFER) but did not say how much the project would cost.
Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington welcomed the commitment.
She said she had been “passionately” advocating for the bridge upgrade since 2017.
“For years my calls for an upgrade to this single lane bridge went unanswered by the former Labor Government and I am extremely proud to be delivering such a vital project for my patch,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“I know how many people rely on this bridge every day and its dangers have been overlooked for far too long.”
The State Government previously set aside $704,000 to investigate safety improvements on the New England Highway south of Cooyar.
The project to investigate options to upgrade Back Creek Bridge and its approaches began several years ago with planning scheduled to be completed by late 2025.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads invited road users and Cooyar residents to provide feedback on the project.
Online consultation closed on August 30, 2023.
- External link: New England Highway (Yarraman to Toowoomba)
As a start, how about switching the Give Qay sign to the Cooyar side (which has better vision of the Toowoomba side once they get to the bridge) and cutting down the trees on that side also? That way those coming through Cooyar can see those coming from Toowoomba way… and SLOW DOWN.
If the Police sat there with a radar trap they would make a mint because vehicles just whizz around that corner, giving those already committed to the bridge NO TIME to finish crossing. And, of course, the ones doing the whizzing haven’t got enough time to apply the brakes, especially if they are large trucks.
I commented on a Facebook post and there is a LOT of support for changing the signs over. It doesn’t matter if there is a specific rule for placement, what counts is safety, and there isn’t any because of lack of clear line of sight.