The Queensland Government has announced that it will increase its annual Bruce Highway funding commitment to $250 million per annum from 2027-28 onwards.
The additional funding will reportedly unlock economic growth, build flood resilience and improve safety.
Following significant investment over the past nine years, the Queensland Government is also releasing its 15-year Vision and Action Plans and the Safer Bruce 2030 Action Plan for the Bruce Highway.
The plans and the increased $250 million annual funding commitment arrive following the work already completed through the Bruce Highway Upgrade Program over the last decade, which has focused on improving capacity, safety and flood resilience.
The 15-year Vision and Action Plans also build on more than $6 billion in existing future investments that will be outlined in the upcoming Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program (QTRIP) 2024-25 to 2027-28, such as:
$948 million Gateway Motorway to Dohles Rocks Road upgrade (Stage 1)
$290 million Dohles Rocks Road to Anzac Avenue upgrade (Stage 1)
$733 million Anzac Avenue to Uhlmann Road upgrade
$1.73 billion Rockhampton Ring Road
$96.9 million Burdekin River Bridge, rehabilitation program
$225 million Cairns Southern Access Corridor (Stage 5), Foster Road
Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister, Bart Mellish, said the investment will contribute to the projects and initiatives laid out in the plans significantly.
“With record investments over the past nine years, a renewed annual funding commitment and some fantastic new projects and initiatives, Queenslanders know that a Labor Government will deliver, just like we are delivering the Rocky Ring Road,” he said.
“Projects that support the Bruce and that help to ease congestion on our main highway are also an important part of our Bruce plan, like the $1 billion Inland Freight Route (or ‘Second Bruce’) and our investment in the Queensland Beef Corridors.
“Safety is always our most important priority and I’m pleased to be working with key transport advocates to improve safety on the Bruce.”
According to Mellish, the release of the 15-year Vision and Action Plans and the Safer Bruce 2030 Action Plan marks a key milestone for the Bruce Highway.
“We now have a plan for the future of the Bruce Highway which extends beyond the Bruce Highway Upgrade Program commitments,” he said.
Bruce Highway Trust Advisory Council Chair, Peter Garske, also highlighted the significance of the projects and the impact they will have not only on the economy but also in improving road safety.
“As the former Chair of the Bruce Highway Trust Advisory Council, members worked hard to oversee the delivery of these two important outputs and ensuring their recommendations aligned with the three key objectives to unlock economic growth, build flood resilience and improve safety,” he said.
The priorities outlined in the Vision and Action Plans will also inform future investment decisions of Federal and State Governments.
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