The Department of Infrastructure and Transport, Australia, has approved A$13.5m ($14.1m) for completion of detailed planning and design work on the A120m ($126.1m) upgrade project of Peak Downs Highway, Queensland.

Peak Downs Highway upgrade project, linking Bowen Basin and the Queensland coast, will straighten and flatten the road over Eton Range, in a bid to reduce the number of fatalities and improve overall driver safety.

The highway road is mostly used by the mining industry and the local community, while Eton Range is used by approximately 4,000 motorists and truck drivers a day, and over the last few years has witnessed fatalities and serious injuries.

The Queensland Main Roads Department will prepare detailed planning and design work after consulting with associated communities, and will undertake construction of the project.

Peak Downs Highway project work is scheduled to begin in 2015 and is expected to take up to two years to complete.

The government is funding the project by reinvesting some of the wealth it has created from natural resources, providing A$8.7bn ($9.1bn) for the reconstruction and extension of Queensland road, rail and public transport infrastructure.