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Burdekin Highway realignment

Project info

What is the Burdekin Highway realignment project?

The Department of Transport and Main Roads has commenced the next stage in planning for the future Burdekin Highway realignment around the townships of Home Hill, Ayr and Brandon.

In 2008, after extensive technical review and community consultation, a preferred alignment (known as option 5) was determined.

Over the next six months, the department will undertake a series of activities designed to collect information to assist with the road corridor design and flood modelling work.

This will also allow us to confirm previous recommendations, plan for any amendments to the alignment, and give stakeholders, particularly those directly impacted by the bypass, the opportunity to plan for the future and capitalise on the benefits the realignment offers.

The aim of the new alignment is to:

• improve the functionality and increase the safety of the existing highway
• encourage a low speed environment through and adjacent to Home Hill, Ayr and Brandon
• increase pedestrian safety.

Activities included in this phase of planning include face to face meetings with residents and industry representatives. A public display is also planned for later this year to allow the community to meet the project team, view the latest design, and provide valuable input into the design of the final alignment.

Project background

The Bruce Highway currently passes through the main streets of Home Hill, Ayr and Brandon and crosses the Burdekin River via a narrow, low speed, two lane steel truss bridge on the northern approach to Home Hill. The bridge was commissioned on 15 June 1957.

Traffic flows through the townships are affected by:

• low speed environments through and adjacent to town centres
• conflicts with local traffic at intersections and parking areas in townships
• Rail (QR) and cane rail operations which cross the existing highway
• low flood immunity resulting in frequent road closures
• traffic interruptions at the existing narrow Burdekin River bridge.

In June 1998, consultants Beard and Holland were commissioned by the former Deparment of Main Roads (DMR) to investigate traffic issues in the three Burdekin townships. Their report found the following:

• The capacity of the existing Burdekin bridge is being approached.
• Disruption to traffic flows resulting from closures of the Burdekin River bridge due to oversize loads, cane farming equipment, accidents and bridge maintenance is resulting in frequent and lengthy traffic delays to highway traffic.
• The combined mix of through and local traffic volumes in the main streets of Home Hill, Ayr and Brandon is affecting the function and amenity of the main commercial areas of these townships particularly in Ayr.
• The ability to upgrade the highway through the main streets is compromised by narrow street corridors and abutting commercial and residential development particularly in Brandon.
• The existing highway alignment does not meet minimum flood immunity criteria for a national highway.
• The crossing of the main north south rail line at Brandon, a QR spur line rail crossing and four cane rail crossings currently interrupt traffic flows along the existing highway particularly in the cane crushing season from July to December.

The report recommended the immediate need (in 1998) for a bypass of the Ayr and Brandon townships with a new bridge over the Burdekin River and Home Hill bypass required prior to 2020.

During the period 1998 to 2000, the former DMR investigated a number of possible bypass alignments both independently and in response to inputs from key stakeholders. These options were put before the community in July and August 2000. As a result of the technical reviews and public comment, option 5 was identified as the preferred route.

Maps

Burdekin Highway realignment: map of the area of interest (PDF, 234 KB)

Related links

Land and property resumptions 

Contact details

Community info