The Bruce Highway is set to receive a $50 million upgrade that will see resilience works improve a flood prone stretch of road between Ingham and Innisfail.
Detailed designs are now complete for improvements to the Gairloch to Ripple Creek section, in the Seymour River Area, with the project scheduled to go out to tender in the coming months and construction expected to get underway next year.
The crucial works will include safety upgrades, wide centreline treatment, replacing culverts to improve drainage, widening the road and reconstructing the highway to a more resilient standard.
The project will be delivered under the $450 million Queensland Resilience and Risk Reduction Program (QRRRP), which is funded through the joint Federal-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements and administered by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Kristy McBain, said the Federal Government was backing Queensland with practical investments to help communities stay connected during extreme weather events.
“These works on the Bruce Highway will make a real difference for North Queenslanders who rely on this route for essential travel, supplies and emergency access,” McBain said.
“By replacing ageing culverts and strengthening the pavement, we’re ensuring this stretch of highway can better withstand the floods that impact the region year after year.”
Queensland Minister for Disaster Recovery, Ann Leahy, said building back better and delivering more resilient infrastructure was a core pillar of the Queensland Government.
“Betterment projects like this are smart investments in our state’s future, using the lessons we’ve learned from past disasters to strengthen us for the future,” Leahy said.
“Our upgrades to the Bruce Highway will be transformational for our state and benefit every Queenslander, particularly in our regions and the north.
“We can’t stop severe weather from occurring, but we can improve our resilience to its impacts, and that’s what these Gairloch to Ripple Creek road improvements are all about.”
Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Brent Mickelberg, said the resilience works were a long-term, generational investment to help keep North Queensland communities open and moving during the next disaster.
“We are committed to building stronger infrastructure, making sure Queensland is better prepared for disasters in the future,” Mickelberg said.
“For more than a decade this section of road has been a choke point as it floods regularly during the storm season and holds up logistics, so we are going to deliver the road improvements the region has been asking for.
“Workers will be on-site in the next year building a more durable stretch of road that ensures safer and more reliable travel on the Bruce Highway while reducing the time and cost of road closures and repair works.”
