The first section of the multimillion dollar upgrade of the Bruce Highway over the Cardwell Range has been completed and is now open to traffic.
The opening of a 900 metre section of the Highway marks a major milestone and follows the completion of the 180 metre long viaduct, Rungoo overpass and bridges earlier this year.
The Federal Labor Government is providing $115 million to realign a four kilometre section of the Bruce Highway through the Cardwell Range, starting about 15 kilometres north of Ingham.
The realignment will reduce the steepness of the road and the sharpness of curves which will improve traffic flow and safety for the 3,200 vehicles that use the road daily.
New climbing lanes are also being installed on both sides of the range to allow heavy vehicles to move to the side so that faster vehicles can pass safely. The new climbing lanes will be opened to traffic in the first half of next year.
The combination of two wet weather seasons and Cyclone Yasi has seen an incredible eight metres of rain fall on the site since work began in 2010 but despite these setbacks, the project is progressing well with the realignment to be completed by mid-next year.
Work on the Cardwell Range section just one of many upgrades currently underway along the 1,700 kilometre road, all part of Federal Labor’s unprecedented $2.8 billion Bruce Highway capital works programs.
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Cardwell Range Realignment