Vandals strike at underpass

The Bill Day Underpass was opened in May 2010.

By Jeremy Sollars

The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) says it will work on a “co-ordinated response” to vandalism of Warwick’s Billy Day Underpass with the police and the Southern Downs Regional Council.
The Free Times was told this week of extensive damage to the lifts and balustrades at the underpass which runs under Wood Street near St Mary’s Catholic Church.
The underpass was completed in May 2010 following a community campaign to improve road safety on Wood Street, particularly for students of the split-campus St Mary’s School.
Glass around the lift structures at both the northern and southern ends of the bypass has been shattered by vandals and the northern end lift was not working at all when inspected by the Free Times on Monday.
The balustrade above the underpass next to the northern end lift has also been completely shattered.
A spokeswoman for TMR this week did not refer to the lift damage but acknowledged the northern end lift needs fixing, and referred to damage on the underpass balustrade.
“We are investigating options to replace the balustrade with vandal-proof materials and repair the northern-end lift,” the spokeswoman said.
“We will be lodging a complaint with the Queensland Police Service (QPS) to allow the matter to be investigated.
“We will also be liaising with the Southern Downs Regional Council and QPS to determine a co-ordinated response.”
The Billy Day Underpass, which is open 24 hours a day, was built at a cost of $7.8 million and was named after a young boy who was tragically struck and killed at the Wood Street crossing in 1973.
Many in the community were against the project, arguing traffic lights would have been a cheaper and equally effective safety solution for pedestrians crossing the highway.