Bruce Highway

The Bruce Highway is a major highway in Queensland, Australia. Commencing in the state capital, Brisbane, it passes through areas close to the eastern coast on its way to Cairns in Far North Queensland. The route is part of the Australian National Highway and also part of Highway 1, the longest highway route in Australia. Its length is approximately ; it is entirely sealed with bitumen. The highway is named after a popular former Queensland and federal politician, Harry Bruce. Bruce was the state Minister for Works in the mid-1930s when the highway was named after him. The highway once passed through Brisbane, but was truncated at Bald Hills when the Gateway Motorway became National Highway 1 upon its opening in December 1986.
It was previously known as the Great North Coast Road, being renamed as the Bruce Highway in 1934 after the state's Minister for Public Works, Henry Bruce.
The highway is the biggest traffic carrier in Queensland. It initially joined all the major coastal centres; however, a number of bypasses, particularly in the south, have diverted traffic around these cities to expedite traffic flow and ease urban congestion. As a result, the highway is constantly being shortened. The road is a dual carriageway from Brisbane to Curra, north of Gympie, many of these upgrades being completed in the 1980s and 1990s.
The highway commences just south of the bridge over the Pine River at the Gateway Motorway interchange, north of the Brisbane central business district. The highway has changed its route numbering from National Highway 1 to the M1 or A1.
Major cities along the route include Gympie, Maryborough, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, and Cairns. The highway passes the Glasshouse Mountains, rainforests and pastures in the Sunshine Coast, the Gunalda Range, Mount Larcom, and the arid countryside north of Rockhampton; after that, it passes through land predominantly used for sugar cane, crop growing and dairy farms and the sub-tropics and tropics.
In November 2024, the Bruce Highway Advisory Council was re-established.
In January 2025, the Australian prime minister announced that the Bruce Highway would get AU$7.2 billion dollars funding from the Australian Government. This funding is meant to upgrade failing sections of the highway between Mackay and Bowen, notably around the very flood prone section south of Proserpine known as Goorganga Plains. This section is earmarked for an elevated carriageway similar to what was built at the Yeppen Floodplain near Rockhampton. The Goorganga Plains section can be closed for days resulting in huge economic loss for the state of Queensland.

State-controlled road

The Bruce Highway is a state-controlled road, subdivided into fourteen sections for administrative and funding purposes. All sections are part of the National Highway.
The sections are:

10A – Brisbane to Gympie
10B – Gympie to Maryborough
10C – Maryborough to Gin Gin
10D – Gin Gin to Benaraby
10E – Benaraby to Rockhampton
10F – Rockhampton to St Lawrence
10G – St Lawrence to Mackay
10H – Mackay to Proserpine
10J – Proserpine to Bowen
10K – Bowen to Ayr
10L – Ayr to Townsville
10M – Townsville to Ingham
10N – Ingham to Innisfail
10P – Innisfail to Cairns

State-controlled roads that intersect with the highway are listed in the main article.

Route description

Commencing in Bald Hills at the junction of the Gateway Motorway and Gympie Arterial Road, the Bruce Highway is a motorway standard road for its first to Curra, where it becomes a two-lane sealed highway for most of its remainder. The first to the Dohles Rocks Road interchange has eight lanes and a variable speed limit of up to. The next to the Caboolture / Bribie Island interchange has six lanes and a maximum speed limit of. From there to Curra the road has four lanes and a speed limit of.

Brisbane to Rockhampton

Bald Hills to Caboolture

This section of the Bruce Highway crosses the Pine River into the City of Moreton Bay, passing through mainly urban areas before crossing the Caboolture River and reaching the Caboolture / Bribie Island interchange after. It runs past or through Murrumba Downs, Griffin, Kallangur, Mango Hill, North Lakes, Dakabin, Narangba, Burpengary and Morayfield. On the way it is crossed by the Redcliffe Peninsula railway line and passes the Caboolture BP Travel Centre.

Caboolture to Caloundra

The Caboolture / Bribie Island interchange also provides access to the D'Aguilar Highway via a service road. After the D'Aguilar Highway interchange the Bruce passes through mainly rural areas and the Beerburrum and Beerwah State Forests, entering the Sunshine Coast Region before reaching the Caloundra Road interchange after a further. It passes the southern entry to Steve Irwin Way, a bypassed section of the highway, which provides access to Beerburrum, Glass House Mountains, Beerwah, Australia Zoo and Landsborough before terminating at the Caloundra Road interchange.
The Caloundra Road Interchange is also Australia's first Diverging diamond interchange.

Caloundra to Noosa

The next to the Sunshine Motorway interchange, providing access to the Sunshine Coast, widens to 3 lanes in either direction. It then narrows back to 2 lanes. After another the Maroochydore Road interchange provides access to Maroochydore and Woombye. The Bli Bli Road interchange, after a further, provides access to Bli Bli and Nambour. The Yandina–Coolum Road interchange, after, provides access to Yandina and Coolum. The Eumundi interchange, after, provides access to Eumundi and Noosa. The Cooroy interchange, after, provides access to Cooroy, Tewantin and Noosa. Total distance from Caloundra Road to this interchange is.

Noosa to Gympie

The to the end of the M1 at Kybong includes three interchanges that provide access to the Old Bruce Highway. From Kybong the highway is designated A1. It has numerous parts with lower speed limits, including urban areas, high crash zones and roadwork sites. After from Kybong the Mary Valley Road interchange provides access to the west of the Mary River. The highway then passes through the Gympie urban fringe, with several at grade intersections providing access to various parts of the city. North of Gympie, from the Mary Valley Road interchange, the Wide Bay Highway interchange is reached, providing access to Kilkivan. Total distance from the Cooroy interchange is.

Gympie to Maryborough

The from the Wide Bay Highway interchange to the Maryborough–Biggenden Road interchange at Maryborough passes through Tiaro and the Gympie Road exit to Maryborough before crossing the Mary River.

Maryborough to Rockhampton

The highway maintains a speed limit of 100 occasionally slowing down to 60 or 50 while driving through several small towns including Childers, Gin Gin, Miriam Vale and Mount Larcom before reaching Rockhampton.

Development of the M1

With the completion of Section C of the Bruce Highway – Cooroy to Curra upgrade project in February 2018 the M1 has now been extended to Kybong, south of Gympie. The Bruce Highway from Kybong to Gympie remains signed as A1. Section D of the project will, when completed in 2024, become the next stage of the M1.
While the references use Woondum as a designator for sections of the project the new intersection that marks the end of the M1 is wholly within the locality of Kybong, although bordered on two sides by Woondum.

History

Remnants of early roads to the north of Brisbane

Roads to the north of Brisbane in the early days of settlement were constrained by the need to use reliable low level crossings of rivers and creeks well upstream from the coast.
South Pine Road runs from Enoggera Road at Alderley through Everton Park to Everton Hills, crossing Kedron Brook.
Bunya Road runs from South Pine Road at Everton Hills to Eatons Crossing Road at Draper, after crossing the South Pine River at Drapers Crossing.
Old Northern Road runs from South Pine Road at Everton Park to another South Pine Road at Albany Creek. Eatons Crossing Road runs from this road to Draper. This South Pine Road continues north over the South Pine River via Cash's Crossing and thence to Gympie Road at Strathpine.
Old North Road links this South Pine Road at Brendale to Youngs Crossing Road at Bray Park. Youngs Crossing Road continues to Dayboro Road at Petrie after crossing the North Pine River.
Further upstream, Whiteside Road provided a fordable crossing at Quinn's Crossing when water level was too high at Youngs Crossing.
Further north, another segment of Old North Road starts at Caboolture River Road in Upper Caboolture, crosses the Caboolture River at Zillmans Crossing and proceeds to Wamuran.
Early roads from the North Pine River crossing to the Caboolture River crossing may have included parts of:Narangba Road from Anzac Avenue in Kallangur to Narangba, where it becomes Oakey Flat Road, to Morayfield Road at Morayfield.Burpengary Road from Boundary Road at Dakabin to Burpengary, where it becomes Station Road. From Station Road the direct route to Morayfield follows Obrien Road and Lindsay Road.Old Gympie Road from Anzac Avenue in Kallangur to Morayfield Road at Burpengary.Caboolture River Road from Morayfield Road at Morayfield to Old North Road at Upper Caboolture.
The Oakey Flat Road route avoids the crossing of Burpengary Creek on Obrien Road at Burpengary. From Oakey Flat Road at Morayfield a route consisting of Williamson Road, Forest Hills Drive, Haywood Road and Moorina Road runs to Caboolture River Road at Upper Caboolture, avoiding the crossing of Sheep Station Creek on Morayfield Road at Morayfield.
Early roads from Caboolture to Landsborough and then to the Bruce Highway at Palmview may have included parts of:

Another segment of Old Gympie Road from Caboolture to Landsborough.Beerburrum Road from Caboolture to Beerburrum, where it joins the Steve Irwin Way to Landsborough and Palmview.

Tom Petrie’s roads

Murrumba Homestead Grounds

The following quotations are from the Murrumba Homestead Grounds article.

"To facilitate his timber operations Tom Petrie marked out several early northern roads, including a track between the Pine River and Bald Hills and a trail from Murrumba to Maroochydore, which later became the Gympie Road. He also blazed a track from North Pine to Humpybong."
"In 1869 Cobb & Co opened a coach route from Brisbane to Gympie via the route Tom had helped mark out."

Anzac Avenue

Anzac Avenue is part of the history of the Bruce Highway as the highway followed it from Petrie to Rothwell for many years prior to the construction of its present alignment.
The following quotation is from the Anzac Avenue article.

"A road from Bald Hills to Redcliffe was formed by the early 1860s, but by 1864 this was almost impassable. Tom Petrie marked a track from the Hays Inlet crossing and in the early 1870s assisted in surveying the road. Known as the "Brisbane Road" it became the primary way of accessing the Redcliffe Peninsula by road."

Upgrades

One of the most dramatic deviations of the highway was the Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation. Beginning construction in 1972, the new route stretched from Roghan Road at Bald Hills to Deception Bay Road at Burpengary. Construction took place across four stages, the last of which was opened on 10 November 1977.
Due to the nature of wet weather and tropical cyclone prone areas of North Queensland, the highway is prone to frequent flooding in a number of places. Following the catastrophic Queensland floods in 2010–2011 the Australian Government commissioned a feasibility study on flood-proofing the highway.
Numerous stretches of the highway are set to undergo redevelopment, realignment, flood-proofing and extension of dual carriageway sections. Former Premier Anna Bligh announced the plans while launching the Queensland Infrastructure Plan. The works are expected to total A$2 billion and include 77 projects over a period of two decades. As of December 2020, 23 major projects had been completed under the program including the delivery of 64 bridges, 30 new rest stops, 300 km safer roadsides, and 190 km wide centre line treatments.
To improve flood immunity of the highway south of Childers, a new and improved road alignment and a higher bridge over the Isis River were completed in September 2011.
Between the Gateway Motorway and Caboolture, the highway has been widened to eight and six lanes since 2001, including the Dohles Rocks Road to Boundary Road section in October 2004, the Boundary Road to Uhlmann Road section in March 2007, and the latest section Uhlmann Road to Bribie Island Road in November 2009. Extension of the six lane section to Steve Irwin Way is proposed to commence in 2020.
A new interchange has been built at the notorious intersection of Roys Road at Beerwah. It also connects to the nearby Bells Creek Road, eliminating another dangerous intersection.
The Nambour-Bli Bli Road interchange was upgraded in 1998 from a half-diamond to a dumbbell. The old interchange had lasted just 8 years. Later on, the entire Nambour Bypass went through a process of rehabilitation due to the extremely rough surface and dangerous pothole appearances during wet weather. This work was completed in 2009.
As of 2020 Sections A, B & C of the joint State and Federal funded Cooroy to Curra upgrade of the highway are open. The final part of the upgrade, Section D, which provides a motorway-standard bypass of Gympie, opened in October 2024.

Major upgrades: Bald Hills to Cooroy

Date	Details
1963	Old Gympie Road between Kallangur and Burpengary was upgraded so it could carry highway traffic. It was eventually bypassed by the Bald Hills-Burpengary deviation.
late 1965 or early 1966	2 mile section of dual carriageway from Woombye to Nambour completed, including two new bridges over Paynters Creek.
August 1966	Caboolture Bypass Stage 1. Single-carriageway completed between Burpengary Creek and Bribie Island Road.
1967	Second carriageway between the Redcliffe turnoff at Burpengary and the southern end of the Caboolture Bypass completed.
late 1969 or early 1970	New bridges completed over the railway line at Kulangoor and over the South Maroochy River at Yandina.
August 1970	Caboolture Bypass Stage 2. Single-carriageway completed between Bribie Island Road and Red Road.
mid 1971	Zillmere Road to Roghan Road duplication, including duplicate bridge over Cabbage Tree Creek.
December 1972	Single-carriageway deviation between Eumundi and Cooroy, including a new bridge over the North Maroochy River. The old alignment is now Eumundi Range Road.
December 1973	Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation Stage 1
December 1973	Beerwah Bypass. 2.5 km-long deviation completed between Roys Road and Foley Road including a new concrete bridge across Coochin Creek.
November 1974	6 km-long single-carriageway deviation completed between Yandina and Eumundi including a new concrete bridge over Browns Creek to replace an old timber bridge.
December 1974	Glasshouse Mountains Bypass. 1.5 km-long deviation completed between Glasshouse Mountains Sportsground and Kings Road including a new concrete bridge across Coonowrin Creek.
August 1976	Eumundi Bypass. 2.4 km-long deviation completed between Eumundi-Noosa Road and Eumundi-Kenilworth Road.
2 August 1976	Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation Stage 2. 12 km-long single-carriageway deviation completed between Strathpine Road and Boundary Road.
March 1977	Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation Stage 3. Second carriageway completed between Strathpine Road and Boundary Road.
10 November 1977	Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation Stage 4. Boundary Road to Deception Bay Road section completed.
9 August 1979	Burpengary Creek to Bribie Island Road Duplication. Second carriageway completed between Burpengary Creek and Bribie Island Road, including interchanges at Station Road, Uhlmann Road, and Bribie Island Road.
30 June 1983	Bribie Island Road to Beerburrum Creek duplication.
9 December 1985	Beerburrum Creek to Caloundra Road Deviation. Major 26.5 km-long four lane deviation completed between Beerburrum Creek and Caloundra Road.
September 1987	Caloundra Road to Sippy Creek duplication.
16 November 1989	Tanawha Deviation. Four lane deviation completed between Sippy Creek and Maroochydore Road.
23 November 1990	Nambour Bypass. Single-carriageway bypass of Nambour completed between Maroochydore Road and Parklands.
20 December 1993	Nambour Bypass Duplication. Second carriageway completed between Kiel Mountain Road overpass and Parklands.
17 May 1994	Cooroy Bypass. Single-carriageway bypass of Cooroy officially opened by Minister for Transport David Hamill.
November 1996	Morayfield Interchange. New interchange opened at Buchanans Road, Morayfield, replacing at-grade intersections there and at Old Coach Road.
17 July 1997	Yandina Bypass. Dual-carriageway bypass of Yandina officially opened by Federal Minister for Transport John Sharp.
23 July 2002	Gateway Motorway to Dohles Rocks Road six-laning.
19 September 2003	Yandina to Cooroy Duplication. Dual-carriageways completed between Browns Creek and Eumundi Range.
20 January 2005	Dohles Rocks Road to Boundary Road six-laning. Six-lane upgrade completed between Dohles Rocks Road and Boundary Road, including upgrades to the Anzac Avenue interchange.
12 March 2007	Boundary Road to Uhlmann Road six-laning. Six-lane upgrade completed between Boundary Road and Uhlmann Road, including upgrades to the Deception Bay Road and Uhlmann Road interchanges.
5 November 2009	Uhlmann Road to Bribie Island Road six-laning. Six-lane upgrade completed between Uhlmann and Bribie Island Roads, including upgrades to the Bribie Island Road interchange.
8 September 2017	Boundary Road interchange upgrade.
August 2021	Six-lane upgrade completed between Caloundra Road and Sunshine Motorway, including upgrades to both interchanges, and also included smart technologies.
April 2024	Six-lane upgrade completed between Bribie Island Road and Steve Irwin Way, including upgrades to creek crossings and the Pumicestone Road interchange.

Major upgrades: Cooroy to Rockhampton

Date	Details
May 1940	Wallaville – Burnett River Bridge
1956	Isis River Bridge replacement
December 1967	Ambrose to Raglan Deviation
1971	Coles Creek Deviation
April 1973	Gunalda Bypass
1974	Gavial Deviation: New road built from the southern end of Roope Road to Jellicoe Street, bypassing Port Curtis Road. A new Burnett Highway junction was built as well.
April 1975	Calliope River Bridge
August 1976	Bauple Deviation
May 1977	Bajool Bypass
April 1979	McKenzie Creek Deviation
1980	McKenzie Creek to Oaky Creek Deviation
May 1984	Howard-Torbanlea Deviation
1985	Curra deviation. 4.6 km of new road built to bypass a narrow railway bridge at Harvey Siding Road.
7 October 1986	Rockhampton Deviation: New road built from the new Capricorn Highway roundabout to the existing Burnett Highway junction.
14 September 1990	Maryborough Bypass
16 November 1991	Glenwood Deviation. Old alignment now Shadbolt Road, Bolderrow Road and Murphys Road.
5 July 1999	Wallaville Deviation – Tim Fischer Bridge
2000	Skyring Creek bridge replacement.
14 February 2001	Gunalda Range Deviation. Old alignment now Bonnick Road and Davey Road
August 2011	Isis River Bridge replacement, 1956 bridge replaced.
18 December 2012	Cooroy to Curra Upgrade Section B
28 October 2013	Rockhampton – Yeppen North
11 June 2014	Calliope Interchange
22 October 2015	Rockhampton – Yeppen South
5 May 2017	Cooroy to Curra Upgrade Section A
9 November 2017	Cooroy to Curra Upgrade Section C
May 2021	Calliope River to Mount Larcom, improve safety.
August 2021	Gentle Annie Road to St Arnauds Creek.
November 2021	Wide Bay Highway intersection upgrade.
January 2022	Tinana overtaking lanes.
15 October 2024	Cooroy to Curra Section D opens.

Major upgrades: Rockhampton to Townsville

Date	Details
10 May 1973	Bowen – Don River Bridge
January 1975	Parkhurst – Ramsey Creek Bridge
23 December 1977	Mackay – Bakers Creek Deviation
12 July 1980	Mackay Deviation – Ron Camm Bridge
16 August 1980	Rockhampton Deviation – Neville Hewitt Bridge
29 October 1982	Marlborough–Sarina alignment change.
September 1984	Thoopara – 3.4 km deviation and new bridge over O'Connell River
1991	Mackay City Gates – Realignment of Nebo Road at the City Gates with provision of an overpass to allow for future North Coast Railway realignment
July 1993	Barratta – Collinsons Lagoon realignment
December 1993	Barratta – Middle and East Barratta Creek realignments
1994	Thoopara – New deviation south of O'Connell River bridge. Remnants of old highway known now as Magees Road and Thomsetts Road
20 April 1994	Yaamba/Milman Deviation – new alignment with higher-level bridges at Alligator and Plentiful Creeks in response to 1991 Flood
September 1994	Townsville – 1.7km duplication of University Road from Angus Smith Drive to Mark Reid Drive
January 1996	Townsville – Duplication of Nathan Street from Bergin Road to Angus Smith Drive. Upon project completion, alignment of National Highway 1 officially moved to University Road, Nathan Street and Duckworth Street.
May 1997	Townsville – 3.2km duplication of University Road from Flinders Highway to Mark Reid Drive.
December 1997	Townsville – Duckworth Street duplication.
18 December 1998	Mackay – Ron Camm Bridge duplication
December 2009	Mackay – Boundary Road to Farrellys Lane duplication and intersection upgrade
2012	Mackay – Boundary Road to City Gates intersection upgrades
October 2013	Mackay – Farrellys Road to Temples Lane duplication and intersection upgrades
February 2015	Brandon – Sandy Corner to Collinsons Lagoon realignment for flood mitigation and cane rail overpass
October 2015	Townsville – Vantassel Street to Cluden Drive duplication, rail overpass and intersection upgrades
August 2021	Rockhampton Northern Access Upgrade: duplication of Yaamba Road from Yeppoon Road to Terranova Drive.
December 2021	Mackay to Proserpine, Bruce Highway Safety Package
December 2021	Rockhampton – St Lawrence, provide bicycle on and off-road paths.
December 2021	Rockhampton – St Lawrence, Carlton Street to Yeppoon Road, improve cycle facilities.
July 2022	Giru, Haughton River Floodplain Upgrade, construct bridges and approaches.

Major upgrades: Townsville to Cairns

Date	Details
1959	Gordonvale/Aloomba Bypass Stage 1: Swan Creek to Riverstone Road, including Carl Wordsworth Bridge
1961	Gordonvale/Aloomba Bypass Stage 2: Mackey's Creek to Riverstone Road, bypass of Gordonvale
1962	Rollingstone Deviation
1963	Gordonvale/Aloomba Bypass Stage 3: Swan Creek to Leumann Road, bypass of Aloomba
1966	Gordonvale/Aloomba Bypass Stage 4: Leumann Road to Assman Road
28 September 1968	Ingham Deviation – John Row Bridge at Herbert River
December 1968	Bellenden Plains / Murray River Deviation – replaced in 2008 by Tully Alliance Project
1970	Bellenden Ker Deviation: new alignment built to the west of the North Coast Railway line, includes new bridge over Harvey Creek
1971	Cairns – Duplication of Mulgrave Road from Aumuller Street to Draper Street
October 1971	Townsville – Black River Bridge
9 July 1973	Innisfail Deviation – Centenary Bridge
1974	Townsville – Partial realignment of Bruce Highway. Alignment shifted off of Ingham Road onto Woolcock Street between Charters Towers Road and Kings Road
1976	Townsville – Partial realignment of Bruce Highway. Woolcock street extended to Hugh Street and Dalrymple Road
1976	Cairns – Duplication of Mulgrave Road from McCoombe Street to Aumuller Street
1981	Innisfail – Sir Joseph McAvoy Bridge
1982	Cairns – Clarkes Creek to Gordon Creek duplication
10 November 1984	Rollingstone Creek – High-level bridge
1986	Townsville – Duplication of Woolcock Street from Hugh Street to Sturt Street
1987	Cairns – Sheehy Road to Skeleton Creek duplication
23 April 1987	Cardwell Range Deviation
4 December 1987	Mutarnee – Ollera Creek Bridge and Mutarnee Deviation
1989	Cairns – Gordon Creek to Sheehy Road duplication
17 October 1991	Babinda Bypass Project Stage 1: Lloyd's Corner/Stager Road to Eastwood Street
December 1992	Townsville - High-level bridge over Bohle River
1993	Babinda Bypass Project: Eastwood Street to Nelson Road
1993	Edmonton – Skeleton Creek to Robert Road duplication
September 1993	Townsville - Stony Creek to Bohle River duplication
1994	Babinda Bypass Project Stage 3: Nelson Road to Frenchmans Creek
1995	Townsville - Duplication of Woolcock Street from Sturt Street to Charters Towers Road
1997	Cairns - Duplication of Florence Street from McLeod Street to Draper Street
March 1998	Townsville Deviation – Woolcock Street extension from Duckworth Street to Bohle River. Alignment of National Highway 1 officially moved from Ingham Road upon project completion
1999	Edmonton Deviation – realignment and four-laning
2003	Cairns – Ray Jones Drive to Sheehy Road six-laning
2004	Cairns – Sheehy Road to Foster Road six-laning
2008	Tully Alliance Project - New deviation from Tully State High School to Corduroy Creek. Includes new crossing over Tully and Murray Rivers, cane rail overpass replacing a level crossing at Silky Oak.
17 April 2009	Townsville Ring Road Stage 3 – National Highway A1 moved from Nathan and Duckworth Streets onto Shaw Road, continuing into The Ring Road.
20 April 2009	Higher-level Mulgrave River Bridge – Desmond Trannore Bridge
June 2009	Mount Low Overpass Townsville
1 November 2013	Cardwell Range Deviation
May 2014	Cairns Southern Access Upgrade – Stage 1
December 2016	Townsville Ring Road Stage 4 – National Highway A1 officially moved from Shaw Road
August 2017	Cairns Southern Access Upgrade – Stage 2: Foster Road to Robert Road six-laning
July 2021	Cairns Southern Access Corridor, Kate Street to Aumuller Street, widen to six lanes.
Late 2021	Townsville–Ingham, Hechts Road to Easter Creek Safety Upgrade Project.
November 2023	Townsville Ring Road Stage 5 – Duplication of the Ring Road from Shaw Road to Riverway Drive. New interchange constructed at Beck Road
December 2023	Cairns Southern Access Upgrade - Stage 3: Petersen Road to Gillies Range Road/Riverstone Road duplication

Northern Australian Beef Roads Upgrade

The Northern Australia Beef Roads Program announced in 2016 included the following project:

Road train access to Rockhampton (stage 2)

The project for upgrading between Gracemere saleyards and the Rockhampton abattoirs to provide access for Type 1 Road Trains was completed by early 2021 at a total cost of $30 million. It involved about of road improvements on four roads:

Capricorn Highway – from Saleyards Road at Gracemere to the Bruce Highway roundabout at Rockhampton.
Bruce Highway – from the Capricorn Highway roundabout to the Yaamba Road intersection.
Rockhampton–Yeppoon Road – from the Bruce Highway intersection south-west to the Emu Park Road intersection.

Highway towns

Travelling north, the following towns and small cities are found on the Bruce Highway.

Brisbane to Maryborough

Maryborough to Rockhampton

Rockhampton to Mackay

Mackay to Townsville

Townsville to Cairns

Major intersections

M1

To avoid unnecessary length this table does not show any bridges

A1

To avoid unnecessary length this table does not show any bridges

Route of former Bruce Highway through Townsville

The former Bruce Highway diverts from the A1 at the Annandale, Douglas, Mount Stuart tripoint and rejoins at the Deeragun / Mount Low boundary It runs north as University Road, crossing the Ross River via the Charles N Barton Bridge and continuing north as Nathan Street. It crosses Ross River Road and Dalrymple Road, continuing north as Duckworth Street. It then turns west into Woolcock Street, crossing Louisa Creek and the Bohle River before turning north-west to rejoin the A1 after crossing Saunders Creek and Stony Creek. Total distance is, compared to almost on the A1.

River crossings

This diagram shows the crossings of all named rivers by the Bruce Highway.

Queensland Electric Super Highway

To facilitate the use of electric vehicles the Queensland Government has installed fast chargers in convenient, safe locations close to major highways where there are existing amenities such as cafes, restaurants and shops. This network is collectively described as the Queensland Electric Super Highway. For a limited time charging electric vehicles at these stations will be free. The majority of these are along the Bruce Highway, at the locations listed below :

Cooroy
Maryborough
Gin Gin
Childers
Miriam Vale
Mt Larcom
Rockhampton
Marlborough
Carmila
Mackay
Proserpine
Bowen
Ayr
Townsville
Cardwell
Tully
Cairns

Other locations are:

Precise locations

Only three of the charging stations are on the highway. They are at Cardwell, Marlborough and Carmila The others are some distance from the highway in car parks or other places as listed in the reference. Note that the reference does not include the precise location of the Townsville charging station.

Distances

The greatest distance between charging stations used to be about 216 km from Townsville to Tully. Other stages greater than 150 km were:

Childers to Miriam Vale
Miriam Vale to Rockhampton
Mackay to Bowen
Bowen to Townsville

Phase 2

The distance issues described above have been alleviated with phase 2 of the project which added more charging stations, for example at Gin Gin, Mt Larcom, Proserpine and Ayr.

Phase 3

The network has been extended to the west, encompassing locations from the east coast to and between Cummamulla, Cloncurry, Longreach and Mount Isa.

Bruce Highway Advisory Council

In November 2024, the Bruce Highway Advisory Council was re-established.