The Gillard Labor Government has reaffirmed its commitment to the Bruce Highway, today releasing a ten-year, $4.1 billion capital works program which will further improve safety, cut travel times, ease congestion and improve the road's flood immunity.
The package of works will also lower transport costs and boost national productivity.
We are determined to continue the work we began five years ago on building a Bruce Highway which supports Queensland's growth and development, with this latest announcement taking our total commitment to this vital economic lifeline to $5.7 billion.
Compared to the former Howard Government's record of $1.3 billion, we have committed more than four times as much over a similar period of time, and right now hundreds of workers are onsite upgrading 90 kilometres of the Highway.

Attached is a list of some of the major projects which will proceed as a result of our funding boost.
We have always said it would take time to put right more than a decade of neglect.
Accordingly, we have moved today to provide long term funding certainty for the Bruce Highway, including details of the next round of targeted improvements to be delivered in partnership with the Queensland Government on a timetable that will now be negotiated with them.
Federal Labor understands that infrastructure matters and when it comes to Queensland there is no more important piece of road infrastructure than the Bruce Highway. That's why we will continue our unprecedented investment in it.
A full list of what we have previously committed to is attached.
The Bruce Highway is Queensland's main northsouth transport link extending a distance of 1,700 kilometres and connecting Brisbane to the state's major regional and coastal communities. Each day, this road is used by more than 500,000 motorists and truck drivers.
 

Nation Building Program: Bruce Highway Progress Report Card

Major Road Projects Previously Commissioned by the Current Labor Government

Project		Status	Benefits	Useage (Vehicles per day)
Upgrade southern approach to Cairns— Construction of an additional inbound lane and road overpasses, elimination of rail crossings, provision of service roads and installation of a traffic management system.		Under Construction Expected completion date—late 2013	The project will assist in reducing traffic congestion, increasing safety, improving access for motorists entering and exiting the highway, reducing travel times and will provide better facilities for cyclists and pedestrians.	55,000
Federal Contribution:	$150 million
Total construction cost:	$150 million
Douglas Arterial Duplication—Duplication of the existing 5.6 kilometre Douglas Arterial from a two lane, two direction road into a median divided two lane dual carriageway road.		Completed	The project will assist in improving safety, reduce congestion and provide more opportunities for overtaking. It will reduce travelling times and transport costs by removing traffic and heavy vehicles from the current highway route through the centre of Townsville.	26,000
Federal Contribution:	$55 million
Total construction cost:	$110 million
Cardwell Range realignment— Realignment of the highway on the north side of the Cardwell Range with an existing overtaking lane to be extended and a southbound overtaking lane to be built and a rail overpass to replace the existing at grade crossing of the North Coast rail line.		Under Construction Expected completion date—late 2013	The project will improve safety by realigning the road. It will reduce vehicle queuing and overall travel time. The reduced gradient will increase heavy vehicle efficiency and reduce periodic closure of the road due to land slips and rock falls.	3,200
Federal Contribution:	$90 million
Total construction cost:	$115 million
Townsville Port Access Road— Construct a highway link (Bruce and Flinders Highways) to the Port of Townsville		Completed	The project will enable quicker, more reliable and cheaper access to the port. It will enhance economic benefits to the national economy from existing industry and provide for growth from within the northern growth.	Stage 1 4,600 Stage 2 2,500
Federal Contribution:	$95 million
Total construction cost:	$217 million
Upgrade southern approach to Mackay— duplication of the Bruce Highway to four lanes from Temples Lane to the existing four lanes at Boundary Road and intersection upgrades.		Under Construction Expected completion date—late 2013	The project will create safer driving conditions and shorter commute times through reduced congestion.	12,500
Federal Contribution:	$50 million
Total construction cost:	$50 million
Realign and raise highway from Sandy Corner to Collinsons Lagoon— Realignment, raising and upgrade of a section of the Bruce Highway from Sandy Corner to Collinsons Lagoon, 9km north of Ayr.		Under Construction Expected completion date—mid 2014	The project will improve flood immunity and the reliability and safety of transport operations on this section of the Bruce Highway.	5,000
Federal Contribution:	$40 million
Total construction cost:	$50 million
Burdekin River Bridge Upgrade— Rehabilitation of the bridge including major work on the steel girders, painting and rust elimination.		Under Construction Expected completion date—mid 2014	The project will maintain economic productivity and access to the region though reduced travel time and route reliability.	8,500
Federal Contribution:	$25 million
Total construction cost:	$25 million
Burdekin Road Safety Audit Projects—Safety works on sections of the Bruce Highway identified by the 2002 Burdekin Road Safety Audit.		Under Construction Expected completion date—late 2013	The project will improve safety on the Bruce Highway in the Burdekin area, including construction of two new overtaking lanes.	8,500
Federal Contribution:	$16.8 million
Total construction cost:	$25 million
Southern approaches to Sarina—Upgrade and realign the Bruce Highway on the southern approach to Sarina.		Completed	The project will reduce congestion and improve safety for road users on this section of the highway.	6,900
Federal Contribution:	$10 million
Total construction cost:	$10 million
Yeppen flood plain study—Planning study of alternative road routes for a higher level crossing of the Fitzroy River flood plain.		Study completed	The project will investigate options to improve flood immunity of the existing route or develop other routes to alleviate the isolation of central and northern Queensland from the rest of the state in a major flood event.
Federal Contribution:	$5 million
Total construction cost:	$5 million
Yeppen Floodplain Upgrade—Planning and Design—Planning and design works towards the raising and upgrade of the Bruce Highway across the Yeppen Floodplain, south of Rockhampton.		Planning Only	The funding will enable planning and design works to be completed to have the construction project ‘shovel ready’ once funding is available.	3,000
Federal Contribution:	$5 million
Total construction cost:	$10 million
Calliope Crossroads— Construction of a grade separated arterial interchange at the Calliope Crossroads intersection of the Bruce Highway over the Dawson Highway.		Under construction Expected completion date—mid 2014	The project will increase safety by eliminating conflict points, reduce travel time for freight and travellers and improve productivity.	8,000
Federal Contribution:	$150 million
Total construction cost:	$150 million
Cabbage Tree Creek to Carman Road and Back Creek Range Section Upgrade—Realignment and upgrade of two sections of the Bruce Highway north of Gin Gin, between Cabbage Tree Creek and Carmen Road, and at Back Creek Range.		Under Construction Expected completion date—late 2014	The Cabbage Tree Creek to Carmen Road and Back Creek Range project will provide substantially improved road safety through improved alignment, wider traffic lanes and sealed shoulders.	3,600
Federal Contribution:	$80 million
Total construction cost:	$100 million
Upgrade southern approaches to Gin Gin— realignment and upgrade of approximately two kilometres of the Bruce Highway on the southern approach to Gin Gin.		Under Construction Expected completion date—mid 2013	The project will improve road user safety and travel time for heavy vehicles.  Improve transport efficiency by reducing the gradient for south bound trucks climbing out of Gin Gin.	3,700
Federal Contribution:	$20 million
Total construction cost:	$20 million
New Isis River Bridge—Construction of new bridge on the Bruce Highway at the Isis River and realignment and upgrade of the bridge approaches.		Completed	The project improved safety for road users through a wider carriageway and increased flood immunity.	7,700
Federal Contribution:	$25 million
Total construction cost:	$29 million
Cooroy to Curra—Planning, design and landowner compensation towards the future upgrade of a 65 kilometre section of the Bruce Highway from Cooroy to Curra, including a bypass of Gympie.		Planning Only Expected completion date—mid 2014 (planning only)	Planning and land acquisition only.  The future upgrade will reduce travel times and improve the safety and efficiency of the Bruce Highway through the Cooroy to Curra section, supporting the needs of local communities, long distance road freight, including hazardous goods and tourist traffic.	10,000—20,000
Federal Contribution:	$200 million
Total construction cost:	$200 million
Cooroy to Curra (Section A)— Construction of a fourlane divided carriageway on a new alignment between the Cooroy South Interchange and Sankeys.		In Planning Expected completion date—late 2016	The project will improve the safety for road users by separating traffic on a newly constructed four lane divided highway with twelve metre wide median. The project will also assist in maintaining economic productivity, reduce travel times and improve efficiency, route reliability and access to the region.	20,000
Federal Contribution:	$395 million
Total construction cost:	$790 million
Cooroy to Curra (Section B)— Construction of a fourlane divided carriageway on a new alignment between two new interchange connections to the existing Bruce Highway located south of Sankeys Road and south of Traveston Road, including a Coles Creek Road overpass access.		Completed	The project will improve the safety for road users by separating traffic on a newly constructed four lane divided highway with twelve metre wide median. The project will also assist in maintaining economic productivity, reduce travel times and improve efficiency, route reliability and access to the region.	20,000
Federal Contribution:	$363 million
Total construction cost:	$488 million
Curra to Childers—Strengthening and Widening—A program of strengthening and widening works between Curra and Childers.		Under Construction Expected completion date—mid 2014	The project will improve safety on the Bruce Highway for all road users and enhance transport efficiency.	8,700
Federal Contribution:	$25 million
Total construction cost:	$25 million
Childers to Sarina—Strengthening and Widening— A program of strengthening and widening works between Childers and Sarina.		Under Construction Expected completion date—mid 2014	The project will improve safety on the Bruce Highway for all road users and enhance transport efficiency.	2,750
Federal Contribution:	$70 million
Total construction cost:	$70 million
Nambour Pavement Reconstruction—Asset preservation, renewal works and safety improvements on the Nambour Bypass section of the Bruce Highway.		Completed	Improved road safety and travel time along the Nambour Bypass section of the Bruce Highway.	31,500
Federal Contribution:	$35 million
Total construction cost:	$35 million

Bruce Highway Safety Package:

Black Spots:

	Approved	Completed	Under Construction	In Planning
Total	110	63	7	40

Rest Areas:

	Approved	Completed	Under Construction	In Planning
New	24	8	4	12
Upgraded	11	4	1	6
Total	35	12	5	18

Overtaking Lanes:

	Approved	Completed	Under Construction	In Planning
New	48	11	24	13
Relocated	2	0	0	2
Total	50	11	24	15