Bruce Highway Upgrade, Queensland, Australia

Bruce Highway is a major north-south corridor in Queensland. Connecting Brisbane with Cairns, it passes through the major cities, including Maryborough, Rockhampton, Mackay and Townsville.

The 1,670km-long highway is a part of the National Land Transport Network. It is named in the honour of the former Queensland and federal politician Henry Adam Bruce.

Bruce Highway is a vital link for 11 coastal ports and west-east freight movements. It provides key linkages between inland production areas and towns. The highway connects the ports and business centres within south-east Queensland, offering accessibility to many coastal tourist attractions in Queensland. It also serves as a local roadway for many regional communities.

The highway carries huge traffic volumes daily, with north of Brisbane segment witnessing more than 100,000 vehicle movements each day.

The traffic volumes on the highway are expected to grow by more than three percent a year to 2025, which calls for upgrades to the highway to ensure safe, reliable and efficient passenger and freight transportation between regions.

Upgrade projects along the Bruce Highway

The Australian and Queensland governments have committed to upgrading the Bruce Highway through the 2007 Brisbane-Cairns Corridor Strategy. The Bruce Highway Upgrade Strategy provides a long-term master plan to enhance the safety, capacity, transport efficiency and flood resistance of the roadway. The federal government has committed $2.8bn for the upgrades of the highway, under the capital works programme.

The transport authorities have either commenced or have completed several Bruce Highway upgrade projects during recent years.

Some of the major projects include: the $115m realignment at the Cardwell Range, flood immunity and safety upgrades from Townsville to Cairns, Douglas Arterial duplication, the $205m road widening between Uhlmann Road and Caboolture, the $71m duplication of a two lane road on the Gympie urban section, and the construction of a two lane motorway from Upper Ross River Road to Shaw Road.

The Queensland Government initiated the $150m Cairns Bruce Highway upgrades in October 2011 to improve the road conditions on the 3.4km segment between Sheehy Road and Chinaman Creek.

Construction on the major north-south corridor

The realignment and full duplication of the Bruce Highway between Sankeys and Traveston Road began in late 2009. The project is also known as Cooroy to Curra, Section B. Abigroup completed the earthworks and drainage components of the route by 2010. The works to be completed include the construction of three new bridges and a new 12km segment of highway.

The $513m Cooroy to Curra project is being jointly funded by the federal ($388m) and Queensland ($125m) governments. The upgrade is expected to be completed by December 2012.

The upgrade of Bruce Highway through the Wide Bay township of Tiaro is currently underway for the scheduled completion by end of 2012.

The work on the upgrades of Bruce Highway at the southern approach to Gin Gin will involve the construction of new and improved road alignment, improvisation of Bundaberg-Gin Gin Road intersection and installation of signage and lighting. The construction is expected to start by late 2012.

The duplication of the Bruce Highway between Temples Lane and Farrelly's Road is currently in progress, for targeted completion by mid-2013.

Bridge upgrade works on Queensland's highway

The new higher bridge across the Isis River, about ten kilometres south of Childers, was completed in September 2011. The project replaced the earlier narrow low level bridge with a new wider four span bridge, with new approaches on an amended alignment.

The Queensland Government opened the tenders for widening of the existing bridge across Wrights Creek, as well as straightening the approaches in June 2012.

The upgrades will duplicate the width of the bridge to 15m to ease the congestion and to allow bigger trucks to cross the bridge.

The site preparation works, involving primary earth-works and soil testing, will commence once the major construction contract is finalised. The construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.