The highway south of Mackay has been rated at one-star in terms of safety. Image: ANDREW KACIMAIWAI
The federal government is to spend another $7.2 billion on repairing and upgrading the Bruce Highway in Queensland.
The extra money will bring the total spend for the 1673-km highway to more than $17 billion, according to government.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads believes at least $9 billion is needed to achieve a three-star safety rating for the highway of which Canberra will fund 80 per cent.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he knowns of the highway’s critical role to Queensland.
“I’ve driven the Bruce Highway many times and I know the critical role it plays for Queenslanders, tourists and freight,” he says.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says they backed the Bruce with billions in the budget and are spending billions more.
“As a Queenslander I know how important the Bruce is to our state, from the south-east corner to the tropical far north and everywhere in between,” he says.
“This is all about transporting people, goods and opportunities and linking and strengthening local communities and economies right around regional Queensland.”
Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Catherine King says almost half the highway has a two-star safety rating which she says “is not good enough”.
“There are sections of this road, particularly up around the Mackay end, that are really still at one star,” she told ABC News.
“We have seen, over 40 people last year lost their lives, and the increase in the number of people who have lost their lives and experienced serious injury on the highway.”
She says the focus of the highway work will be to lift the safety rating from one-star to three stars since that will requirement the most amount of work.
King also says the Qld Government will be required to contribute as they will be contracting, tendering and managing the budget for the highway upgrade.
According to government, the Bruce Highway has an average fatal and serious Injury crash rate three to five times higher than any major highway in NSW and Victoria.
The highway connects Brisbane to the regional centres of Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns and supports around 62 per cent of the population in Queensland.
Critical projects under a safety infrastructure package will be fast-tracked, starting in areas north of Gympie which have high crash rates. These routes include Maryborough to Benaraby, Rockhampton to St Lawrence, Bowen to Townsville and Ingham to Innisfail.
Projects may include new safety barriers, wide centre lines and audio tactile line marking; constructing wider shoulders; increasing run-off areas, overtaking lanes and rest areas; and improving intersections, signage, and sight lines.
There will also be a focus on resealing and increasing road surface resilience to increasingly severe weather events.
Works is due to start this year, the government says.
