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 1,679 kilometres (1,043 mi); 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.[citation needed]
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.[1]
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 (Glass House Mountains, Tanawha, Maryborough) and 1990s (Nambour, Yandina, and Cooroy).[citation needed]
The highway commences just south of the bridge over the Pine River at the Gateway Motorway interchange, 21 kilometres (13 mi) north of the Brisbane central business district. The highway has changed its route numbering from National Highway 1 to the M1 (motorway road) or A1 (single carriageway, generally with overtaking lanes).[citation needed]
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.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
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 (signed as the M1) for its first 163 kilometres (101 mi) to Curra, where it becomes a two-lane sealed highway for most of its remainder. The first 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) to the Dohles Rocks Road interchange has eight lanes and a variable (electronically signed) speed limit of up to 100 kilometres per hour (60 mph). The next 22 kilometres (14 mi) to the Caboolture / Bribie Island interchange has six lanes and a maximum speed limit of 100 kilometres per hour (60 mph). From there to Kybong the road has four lanes and, with one short exception, a speed limit of 110 kilometres per hour (70 mph).[citation needed]
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 36.1 kilometres (22.4 mi). 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.[citation needed]
The next 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) 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 7.5 kilometres (4.7 mi) the Maroochydore Road interchange provides access to Maroochydore and Woombye. The Bli Bli Road interchange, after a further 7 kilometres (4.3 mi), provides access to Bli Bli and Nambour. The Yandina–Coolum Road interchange, after 6.7 kilometres (4.2 mi), provides access to Yandina and Coolum. The Eumundi interchange, after 8.4 kilometres (5.2 mi), provides access to Eumundi and Noosa. The Cooroy interchange, after 7.2 kilometres (4.5 mi), provides access to Cooroy, Tewantin and Noosa. Total distance from Caloundra Road to this interchange is 42.4 kilometres (26.3 mi).[citation needed]
Noosa to Gympie
The 33 kilometres (21 mi) 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 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) 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, 14.3 kilometres (8.9 mi) from the Mary Valley Road interchange, the Wide Bay Highway interchange is reached, providing access to Kilkivan. Total distance from the Cooroy interchange is 55.4 kilometres (34.4 mi).[citation needed]
Gympie to Maryborough
The 73.9 kilometres (45.9 mi) 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.[citation needed]
With the completion of Section C of the Bruce Highway – Cooroy to Curra upgrade project (Traveston to Woondum) in February 2018[12] the M1 has now been extended to Kybong, 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of Gympie. The Bruce Highway from Kybong to Gympie remains signed as A1. Section D of the project (Woondum to Curra, including a bypass of Gympie) will, when completed in 2024, become the next stage of the M1.[13]
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.[14][15]
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.[citation needed]
Old Northern Road runs from South Pine Road at Everton Park to another South Pine Road at Albany Creek.[18] Eatons Crossing Road runs from this road (north of the South Pine River) to Draper.[19] This South Pine Road continues north over the South Pine River via Cash's Crossing and thence to Gympie Road at Strathpine.[20]
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.[21]
Further upstream, Whiteside Road[22] (now submerged by Lake Samsonvale) provided a fordable crossing at Quinn's Crossing[23] when water level was too high at Youngs Crossing.[citation needed]
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.[27]
Old Gympie Road from Anzac Avenue in Kallangur to Morayfield Road at Burpengary.[28]
Caboolture River Road from Morayfield Road at Morayfield to Old North Road at Upper Caboolture.[29]
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,[30] avoiding the crossing of Sheep Station Creek on Morayfield Road at Morayfield.[citation needed]
"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 (Redcliffe)."
"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.[citation needed]
The following quotation is from the Anzac Avenue article.[34]
"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 took traffic from Gympie Road at Bald Hills to Uhlmann Road at Burpengary along a much superior alignment which was also constructed to four lanes. The new route was officially opened on 10 November 1977 at a total cost of $20 million.[35]
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.[36]
Numerous stretches of the highway are set to undergo redevelopment, realignment, flood-proofing and extension of dual carriageway sections.[37] Former Premier Anna Bligh announced the plans while launching the Queensland Infrastructure Plan (Now (A part of) known as Building Our Future, it includes all Transport Infrastructure Projects Nation-wide). The works are expected to total A$2 billion and include 77[38] projects over a period of two decades.[37] 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.[39]
A stretch of road between Cardwell and Tully, which is prone to frequent flooding in the wet season, is set to undergo realignment. A new route for the highway through Townsville was under construction with the first stage of the Townsville Ring Road (now called The Ring Road) already completed.[citation needed]
An upgrade to a stretch of the highway north of Townsville has been given approval, and will see the existing dual carriageway to the north extended by another 11 km. It will also include installation of traffic lights at Mt Low Parkway, and will be the final stage of the Ring Road link up to this section by 2015. The Queensland Main Roads Department's ultimate concept map of the development shows that the highway will progressively become Motorway standard by 2015, with the implementation of interchanges at various junctions.[citation needed]
The highway south of Cairns will see sections of the highway to the suburb of Edmonton become six lanes, with progressive dual-carriageway redevelopment of the highway to Gordonvale.[citation needed]
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.[40]
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.[citation needed]
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.[41] This follows a similar situation at Buchanans Road in Morayfield, the intersection of which was replaced by an interchange in November 1996.[citation needed]
The Pumicestone Road interchange has also undergone a redesign, replacing the original low-level bridge and ramps constructed in October 1970.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
As of 2020 Sections A, B & C of the joint State and Federal funded 61 kilometres (38 mi) 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.[42]
Major upgrades: Bald Hills to Cooroy
Date
Details
August 1966
Caboolture Bypass Stage 1. Single-carriageway completed between Burpengary Creek and Bribie Island Road.[43]
August 1970
Caboolture Bypass Stage 2. Single-carriageway completed between Bribie Island Road and Red Road.[44]
December 1972
Single-carriageway deviation between Eumundi and Cooroy, bypassing Eumundi Range Road.[45]
December 1973
Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation Stage 1. 1.3 mile-long dual-carriageways completed between Roghan Road and Strathpine Road.[46]
December 1973
Beerwah Bypass. 2.5 km-long deviation completed between Roys Road and Foley Road including a new concrete bridge across Coochin Creek.[46]
November 1974
Browns Creek Deviation. 6 km-long single-carriageway completed between Browns Creek and Eerwah Vale.[47]
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.[47]
August 1976
Eumundi Bypass. 2.4 km-long deviation completed between Eerwah Vale and Main Creek.[48]
2 August 1976
Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation Stage 2. 12 km-long single-carriageway deviation completed between Strathpine Road and Boundary Road.[48]
March 1977
Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation Stage 3. Second carriageway completed between Strathpine Road and Anzac Avenue.[48]
10 November 1977
Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation Stage 4. Boundary Road to Deception Bay Road section completed.[49]
Cooroy Bypass. Single-carriageway bypass of Cooroy officially opened by Minister for Transport David Hamill.[54]
17 July 1997
Yandina Bypass. Dual-carriageway bypass of Yandina officially opened by Federal Minister for Transport John Sharp.[55]
23 July 2002
Gateway Motorway to Dohles Rocks Road six-laning.[citation needed]
19 September 2003
Yandina to Cooroy Duplication. Dual-carriageways completed between Browns Creek and Eumundi Range.[citation needed]
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.[56]
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.[57]
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.[citation needed]
Caloundra Road to Sunshine Motorway widening to six lanes. Six-lane upgrade completed between Caloundra Road and Sunshine Motorway, including upgrades to both interchanges, and also included smart technologies.[58]
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.[citation needed]
Marlborough–Sarina alignment change.[63] (Project commenced in 1974)[64]
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 (railway realignment officially opened in 1993)
July 1993
Barratta – Collinsons Lagoon realignment
December 1993
Barratta – Middle and East Barratta Creek realignments
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 (includes Charles N. Barton Bridge Duplication). 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
2019
Parkhurst – Major upgrades including Ramsey Creek Bridge duplication
Townsville – Partial realignment of Bruce Highway. Alignment shifted off of Ingham Road onto Woolcock Street between Charters Towers Road and Hugh Street
Mutarnee – Ollera Creek Bridge and Mutarnee Deviation
17 October 1991
Babinda Deviation Stage 1: Lloyd's Corner/Stager Road to Munro Street
Late 1992
Babinda Deviation Stage 2: Munro Street to Nelson Road
December 1992
Townsville - High-level bridge over Bohle River
Late 1993
Babinda Deviation Stage 3: Nelson Road to Frenchmans Creek
September 1993
Townsville - Stony Creek to Bohle River duplication
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
2002
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.
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.[114] It involved about 29 kilometres (18 mi) of road improvements on four roads:
Capricorn Highway – from Saleyards Road at Gracemere to the Bruce Highway roundabout at Rockhampton (7.7 kilometres (4.8 mi)).
Bruce Highway – from the Capricorn Highway roundabout to the Yaamba Road intersection (8.3 kilometres (5.2 mi)).
Rockhampton–Yeppoon Road – from the Bruce Highway intersection south-west to the Emu Park Road intersection (2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi).
Rockhampton–Emu Park Road – from the Rockhampton–Yeppoon Road intersection to St Christophers Chapel Road at Nerimbera (10.2 kilometres (6.3 mi)).
Highway towns
Travelling north, the following towns and small cities are found on (or very close to) the Bruce Highway.
The former Bruce Highway diverts from the A1 at the Annandale, Douglas, Mount Stuart tripoint (1,331 kilometres (827 mi) from start – see Major intersections – A1) and rejoins at the Deeragun / Mount Low boundary (1,350 kilometres (840 mi) from start) 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 (State Route 72) 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 17 kilometres (11 mi), compared to almost 19 kilometres (12 mi) on the A1.[citation needed]
This diagram shows the crossings of all named rivers by the Bruce Highway.[121]
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 (from south to north):[122]
Only three of the charging stations are on the highway. They are at Cardwell, Marlborough and Carmila (Puma Service Stations) The others are some distance from the highway in car parks or other places as listed in the reference.[123] 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 (which may have exceeded the range of some electric vehicles) were:
Childers to Miriam Vale (about 155 km)
Miriam Vale to Rockhampton (about 170 km)
Mackay to Bowen (about 191 km)
Bowen to Townsville (about 202 km)
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.[124]
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.[125]
^"The Story of Whiteside". npra.org.au. North Pine Residents Association. 1988. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018. Quinns Crossing on the Petrie to Samsonvale Road, part of the first main road north of Brisbane
^Tracey Lloyd (29 January 2010). "Caboolture River Road Heritage Drive". weekendnotes.com. OatLabs ABN: 18113479226. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2018. Zillmans Crossing ... marks the original trail from Brisbane to Caboolture.
^The Hon Warren Truss MP, Former Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development (1 November 2013). "Cardwell Range Realignment Opens to Traffic". Media Release WT017/2013. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2018.