$50 million of resilience works will be invested into a flood prone section of the Bruce Highway in North Queensland.
A stretch of road between Ingham and Innisfail will be the site of the construction.
Detailed designs are now complete for improvements to the Gairloch to Ripple Creek section in the Seymour River Area, with 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, which is funded through the joint Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements and administered by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Kristy McBain, said the Federal Government is supporting 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,” she 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 the delivery of resilient infrastructure is a key mission of the State 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,” she 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.”
This project is the next section of improvements to the Bruce Highway, in addition to the $48 million Gairloch Floodway project which is currently in the design phase.
Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Brent Mickelberg, said the resilience works are a long-term investment to help keep North Queensland communities open and moving.
“We are committed to building stronger infrastructure, making sure Queensland is better prepared for disasters in the future,” he 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.”
In other news, DP World’s logistics operations are being strengthened at the Yennora Distribution Centre in Sydney, New South Wales.
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