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 when the highway was named after him, in the mid-1930s, and was widely considered to be a good bloke. 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.
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 Kybong with some dual carriageway lengths at 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 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.

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 Kybong, 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 Kybong the road has four lanes and, with one short exception, a speed limit of.

Brisbane to Maryborough

Bald Hills to Caboolture

This section of the Bruce Highway crosses the Pine River into the Moreton Bay Region, 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.

Caloundra to Noosa

The next to the Sunshine Motorway interchange, providing access to the Sunshine Coast, has a speed limit of 100. The speed limit then reverts to 110. 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.

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, 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 Eatons 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:
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:

Murrumba Homestead Grounds

The following quotations are from the Murrumba Homestead Grounds article.
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.
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.
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.
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 already completed.
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.
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.
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. This follows a similar situation at Buchanans Road in Morayfield, the intersection of which was replaced by an interchange in November 1996.
The Pumicestone Road interchange has also undergone a redesign, replacing the original low-level bridge and ramps constructed in October 1970.
The Nambour Bypass has gone 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. Early works for Section D has commenced. When completed, the Cooroy to Curra upgrade will bypass the town of Gympie and a predominantly two lane section will be replaced with a four lane dual-carriageway.

Major upgrades: Bald Hills to Cooroy

DateDetails
August 1966Caboolture Bypass Stage 1. Single-carriageway completed between Burpengary Creek and Bribie Island Road.
August 1970Caboolture Bypass Stage 2. Single-carriageway completed between Bribie Island Road and Red Road.
December 1972Single-carriageway deviation between Eumundi and Cooroy, bypassing Eumundi Range Road.
December 1973Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation Stage 1. 1.3 mile-long dual-carriageways completed between Roghan Road and Strathpine Road.
December 1973Beerwah Bypass. 2.5 km-long deviation completed between Roys Road and Foley Road including a new concrete bridge across Coochin Creek.
November 1974Browns Creek Deviation. 6 km-long single-carriageway completed between Browns Creek and Eerwah Vale.
December 1974Glasshouse Mountains Bypass. 1.5 km-long deviation completed between Glasshouse Mountains Sportsground and Kings Road including a new concrete bridge across Coonowrin Creek.
August 1976Eumundi Bypass. 2.4 km-long deviation completed between Eerwah Vale and Main Creek.
2 August 1976Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation Stage 2. 12 km-long single-carriageway deviation completed between Strathpine Road and Boundary Road.
March 1977Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation Stage 3. Second carriageway completed between Strathpine Road and Anzac Avenue.
10 November 1977Bald Hills to Burpengary Deviation Stage 4. Boundary Road to Deception Bay Road section completed.
5 December 1978Bribie Island Road Interchange.
9 August 1979Burpengary to Bribie Island Road Duplication. Second carriageway completed between Burpengary Creek and Bribie Island Road.
9 December 1985Beerburrum Creek to Caloundra Road Deviation. Major 26.5 km-long four lane deviation completed between Beerburrum Creek and Caloundra Road.
September 1987Caloundra Road to Sippy Creek duplication
December 1987Station Road Overpass
16 November 1989Tanawha Deviation. Four lane deviation completed between Caloundra Road and Maroochydore Road.
January 1990Johnston Road Interchange. Grade-separated diamond interchange completed as part of Moby Vic's Service Centre development.
23 November 1990Nambour Bypass Stage 1. Single-carriageway bypass of Nambour completed between Maroochydore Road and Parklands.
December 1992Dohles Rocks Road half-interchange
20 December 1993Nambour Bypass Stage 2. Second carriageway completed between Maroochydore Road and Parklands.
April 1994Deception Bay Road northbound loop ramp
17 May 1994Cooroy Bypass. Single-carriageway bypass of Cooroy officially opened by Minister for Transport David Hamill.
17 July 1997Yandina Bypass. Dual-carriageway bypass of Yandina officially opened by Federal Minister for Transport John Sharp.
23 July 2002Gateway Motorway to Dohles Rocks Road six-laning.
19 September 2003Yandina to Cooroy Duplication. Dual-carriageways completed between Browns Creek and Eumundi Range.
20 January 2005Dohles 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 2007Boundary 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 2009Uhlmann Road to Bribie Island Road six-laning. Six-lane upgrade completed between Uhlmann Road and Bribie Island Road, including upgrades to the Bribie Island Road interchange.

Major upgrades: Cooroy to Rockhampton

DateDetails
May 1940Wallaville - Burnett River Bridge
December 1967Ambrose to Raglan Deviation
April 1973Gunalda Bypass
1974Gavial Deviation - Roope Road to Egan's Hill
April 1975Calliope River Bridge
August 1976Bauple Bypass
May 1977Bajool Bypass
May 1984Howard-Torbanlea Deviation
7 October 1986Rockhampton Deviation – Yeppen Yeppen Crossing to Egan's Hill
14 September 1990Maryborough Bypass
16 November 1991Glenwood Deviation
5 July 1999Wallaville Deviation - Tim Fischer Bridge
14 February 2001Gunalda Range Deviation
August 2011Isis River Bridge replacement
18 December 2012Cooroy to Curra Upgrade Section B
28 October 2013Rockhampton – Yeppen North
11 June 2014Calliope Interchange
22 October 2015Rockhampton - Yeppen South
5 May 2017Cooroy to Curra Upgrade Section A
9 November 2017Cooroy to Curra Upgrade Section C

Major upgrades: Rockhampton to Townsville

DateDetails
10 May 1973Bowen - Don River Bridge
January 1975Parkhurst - Ramsey Creek Bridge
23 December 1977Mackay - Bakers Creek Deviation
12 July 1980Mackay Deviation – Ron Camm Bridge
16 August 1980Rockhampton Deviation – Neville Hewitt Bridge
29 October 1982Marlborough-Sarina alignment change
September 1984Thoopara - 3.4 km deviation and new bridge over O'Connell River
1991Mackay City Gates - Realignment of Nebo Road at the City Gates with provision of an overpass to allow for future North Coast Railway realignment
July 1993Barratta - Collinsons Lagoon realignment
December 1993Barratta - Middle and East Barratta Creek realignments
20 April 1994Yaamba/Milman Deviation - new alignment with higher-level bridges at Alligator and Plentiful Creeks in response to 1991 Flood
1995Townsville - Charles N. Barton Bridge Duplication
18 December 1998Mackay - Ron Camm Bridge duplication
December 2009Mackay - Boundary Road to Farrellys Lane duplication and intersection upgrade
2012Mackay - Boundary Road to City Gates intersection upgrades
October 2013Mackay - Farrellys Road to Temples Lane duplication and intersection upgrades
February 2015Brandon - Sandy Corner to Collinsons Lagoon realignment for flood mitigation and cane rail overpass
October 2015Townsville - Vantassel Street to Cluden Drive duplication, rail overpass and intersection upgrades

Major upgrades: Townsville to Cairns

DateDetails
1959Gordonvale/Aloomba Bypass Stage 1: Swan Creek to Riverstone Road, including Carl Wordsworth Bridge
1961Gordonvale/Aloomba Bypass Stage 2: Mackey's Creek to Riverstone Road, bypass of Gordonvale
1962Rollingstone Deviation
1963Gordonvale/Aloomba Bypass Stage 3: Swan Creek to Leumann Road, bypass of Aloomba
1966Gordonvale/Aloomba Bypass Stage 4: Leumann Road to Assman Road
1968Bellenden Ker Deviation
28 September 1968Ingham Deviation - John Row Bridge at Herbert River
December 1968Bellenden Plains / Murray River Deviation - replaced in 2008 by Tully Deviation
October 1971Townsville - Black River Bridge
9 July 1973Innisfail Deviation – Centenary Bridge
1980sTownsville - Partial realignment of Bruce Highway. Alignment shifted off of Ingham Road onto Woolcock Street between Charters Towers Road and Hugh Street
1981Innisfail - Sir Joseph McAvoy Bridge
10 November 1984Rollingstone Creek - High-level bridge
23 April 1987Cardwell Range Deviation
4 December 1987Mutarnee - Ollera Creek Bridge and Mutarnee Deviation
17 October 1991Babinda Deviation Stage 1: Lloyd's Corner/Stager Road to Munro Street
1992Babinda Deviation Stage 2: Munro Street to Nelson Road
1993Babinda Deviation Stage 3: Nelson Road to Frenchmans Creek
March 1998Townsville Deviation – Woolcock Street extension. Alignment of National Highway 1 officially moved from Ingham, Charters Towers, Bowen Roads and Stuart Drive.
1999Edmonton Deviation - realignment and four-laning
2002Cairns - Ray Jones Drive to Sheehy Road six-laning
2004Cairns - Sheehy Road to Foster Road six-laning
2008Tully deviation
17 April 2009Townsville Ring Road Stage 3 - National Highway A1 moved from Nathan and Duckworth Streets onto Shaw Road, continuing into The Ring Road.
20 April 2009Higher-level Mulgrave River Bridge - Desmond Trannore Bridge
June 2009Mount Low Overpass Townsville
1 November 2013Cardwell Range Deviation
May 2014Cairns Southern Access Upgrade – Stage 1
December 2016Townsville Ring Road Stage 4 - National Highway A1 officially moved from Shaw Road
August 2017Cairns Southern Access Upgrade – Stage 2: Foster Road to Robert Road six-laning

Projects

Highway towns

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

Brisbane to Maryborough

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

The accompanying 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 :
Only two of the charging stations are on the highway. They are at 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 is about 216 km from Townsville to Tully. Other stages greater than 150 km are: