Highway works anger

Motorists outraged about constant hold-ups at El Arish sites

l CASSOWARY COAST

| Nick Dalton ROAD-users have inundated a state MP and a local council with complaints about constant road works and delays on the Bruce Highway at El Arish.

Member for Hill Shane Knuth said motorists were fed up with the El Arish range section of the highway.

“We have not seen as much frustration from the community than with this section of road and people are over it,” he said.

“There have been two painful sections of road works, along the Smiths Gap/El Arish Range which has been drawn out over a number of years which includes Smiths Gap, and the pavement rehabilitation works further southwards.

“There are numerous complaints about stop and go lights with no workers on site, reports of a number of serious accidents in this area and the costing – to get this one section right – has blown out.

“Drivers are continually being held up at the number of stop and go lights causing people to be late for work and appointments.”

Cassowary Coast deputy mayor Barry Barnes said the council had received a lot of complaints as well.

“I am very frustrated and so are a lot of my constituents about the road works that are being repeated,” he said.

“They were only done a very short time ago and it is a safety issue. We have had incident after incident here and now the cane season has commenced.

“Farmers are being affected by not being able to cross the road.

“Where is the quality assur-