Enough is enough. This is an SOS to governments on behalf of the road transport industry to urgently upgrade a section of the Bruce Highway known as the Gairloch Floodway, which is located about 6km north of Ingham.
Also known as the Gairloch Overflow, it is a low-lying area which floods after even a modest amount of rain and is also subject to very high tidal activity.
The Bruce Highway gets cut off there often during wet season – and often even with moderate rain.
I can recall being stuck there way back in 2006 when the water rose rapidly as vehicles waited.
A vivid memory is seeing a tractor towing a trailer with vehicles across it, albeit not heavy trucks.
It is almost 19 years on, and nothing seems to have changed, with trucks being held up there again in March.
Having said that, the nearby river crossing has resulted in the highway being heightened.
These include the Seymour River and Arnot Crossing just north. However, the Seymour River section did flood in mid-March.
A detailed design was done to improve safety and reduce flood-related closures on that complex section.
The project aimed to improve safety by upgrading the road with a wide centre line treatment and removing the sharp curve at this location.
It also aims to reduce highway closures by improving the level of flood immunity at this section of the highway.
The Gairloch Floodway is located in the centre of a 16km flood-prone section of the Bruce Highway from the southern outskirts of Ingham to the foothills of Cardwell Range.
The Gairloch Floodway normally closes the highway first, and keeps the highway closed for a longer period of time.