Australian towns devastated by deadly flooding over the past week prepared for further intense weather Sunday, with expected downpours halting volunteer recovery and clean-up efforts
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) of NSW said a new weather system could bring another round of heavy rains across NSW, of which Sydney is the capital, raising the risks of flooding.
Rainbow Beach community stalwart Tony Stewart was last month preparing to launch a petition to push the State Government into action about the road between Gympie, Rainbow Beach and Tin Can Bay.
That petition is now live on the Queensland Parliament website, tabled by Mr Stewart and sponsored by Gympie MP Tony Perrett. 2019 Gympie Citizen of the Year Tony Stewart has been instrumental in bringing the petition forward.
As of Sunday night the petition had attracted 556 signatures since launching on March 30, with plenty of time still to go before it closes on September 30.
“Statistics show this road is the second most dangerous road in Wide Bay, marginally behind the Bruce Highway. There has been 14 deaths between 2011 and 2018 and 312 crashes between 2001 and 2019, equating to one crash every three weeks,” the petition description reads.
Drivers travelling between Gympie and the coast will have to take a detour with Gympie Connection Road to be shut for three months as part of work on the $1 billion bypass. The stretch of the road between Old Goomboorian Road and Tin Can Bay Road will be closed from Monday April 12 for three months to allow construction to continue. Vehicles will instead be diverted along Ascot and Tin Can Bay roads. Traffic management will also be in place between the North Coast rail line and Ascot Road for a 14 month stretch. Traffic detours and delays will be common on Gympie Connection Road for several months.