Council to implement safety measures at notorious intersection

Published on 13 July 2026

Council will be progressing some interim measures at the Holts Road/Glenella-Richmond Road intersection to address immediate safety concerns.

Council’s long-term intention is for the intersection to be upgraded to a roundabout.

Works planned for early August will involve a speed limit reduction to 60kmh on all approaches, additional safety signage, vegetation clearing to improve visibility and line marking.

A guardrail will also be installed along a bend on Glenella-Richmond Road, between Larkins Road and Davey Street.

Mayor Greg Williamson said the intersection was a high priority for council and a community petition had received more than 6000 signatures calling for a roundabout and improved safety at the site.

“This intersection has a known crash history, including the fatal crash in March this year, and council has been advocating for funding for some time to deliver a roundabout at this location,” Mayor Williamson said.

“Traffic volumes at this location have increased as our region grows, and as traffic patterns shift due to congestion on major routes like Mackay-Bucasia Road and the Mackay Ring Road,” he said.

Mayor Williamson said previous funding applications had been unsuccessful largely due to a mismatch between available funding and the project’s overall cost, which was more than $8 million.

“We are still awaiting assessment and outcomes from several funding applications; however, council acknowledges that action is needed now to reduce risks at this location.

“We have worked with the Queensland Police Service and the Department of Transport and Main Roads to implement a change of speed limit at the site and our teams will be installing new signage over the next few weeks to make that official.

“We have also progressed the design of the roundabout and begun discussions with neighbouring landowners around land acquisitions to ensure the roundabout project is shovel ready.”

Works on the guardrail on the bend up from the intersection will begin today (Monday, July 13), weather permitting. Works include construction of a sidetrack, pavement replacement, installation of steel beam guardrails, regulatory and hazard signage and associated landscaping.

Construction of the guardrail is expected to take about six weeks. Traffic control will be in place during the works, including single-lane access with alternating traffic flow where required during work periods.