Natural Disaster Program

The department is working on more than 920 projects to restore roads across Queensland damaged by floods and bushfires. The department is also reconnecting communities and supporting regional economic recovery after disaster events damaged the state-controlled road network in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Key features

  • Restoring access for communities and businesses. 
  • Restoring damaged roads and road surfaces.
  • Repairing damaged structures, including bridges and culverts.
  • Repairing damaged slopes and batters along roads.
  • Clearing silt and debris.

Benefits

  • Restores damaged infrastructure
  • Contributes to economy
  • Contributes to regional growth

About the program.

  • The Natural Disaster Program reconnects Queenslanders by repairing parts of the state-controlled road network damaged by natural disasters.
  • The department restores damaged sites to their pre-disaster level of service.
  • In the first 3 months after disaster events, the department undertakes emergency works such as clearing debris and filling potholes. This enables roads to be used safely while the department completes geotechnical and environmental investigations, surveys and detailed design for reconstruction works, where required.
  • Reconstruction works are completed within 2 financial years after the financial year in which the disaster event occurred.
  • Where possible, the program also supports the resilience of state roads to future disasters.

Current status

  • Damage assessments and repairs are underway across Queensland after significant disaster events in 2023–24. Tropical Cyclone Jasper caused multiple landslips on range roads around Cairns, a major debris clean-up is ongoing following severe storms across southern Queensland and flooding associated with Tropical Cyclone Kirrily damaged roads in western Queensland.
  • Repairs are ongoing after flooding across northern and central Queensland in early 2023.
  • A substantial recovery program is underway, particularly across southern Queensland, after major disaster events caused extensive damage in 2021–22. The program is repairing significant state road damage across 41 local government areas, including numerous major landslips, widespread pavement damage and shoulder scouring and widespread scouring around culverts and bridges.
  • Repairs are nearing completion in the Gold Coast hinterland following heavy rainfall and flooding in December 2020 and March 2021.
  • Reconstruction works are underway on the Cunningham Highway where bushfires caused significant slope damage at Cunninghams Gap in late 2019. Due to the severe damage and complex site, repairs are being undertaken over an extended period.
Funding

The recovery works are jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland Governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

Traffic info

These works may change traffic conditions that impact your travel. Visit QLDTraffic to plan your journey.

6 Projects in Natural Disaster Program

Aerial image of Cunningham Highway at Cunninghams Gap

Cunningham Highway (Ipswich – Warwick), 2020 Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements reconstruction works

The department is committed to restoring and repairing the damaged section of the Cunningham Highway at Cunninghams Gap. This 2km stretch, leading up to the Allan Cunningham monument, suffered significant road damage during the bushfires in 2019.

Flood resilience works

The department is improving the flood immunity and resilience of the state-controlled road network at 27 priority sites.

Aerial view of Gold Coast-Springbrook Road major slip site

Gold Coast-Springbrook Road, Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements reconstruction works

Gold Coast-Springbrook sustained a significant number of landslips, rock falls and tree falls over a 10-kilometre section during extreme rainfall and flooding events from 22 February to 20 May 2022.

Aerial photograph of a major landslip on Lamington National Park Road

Lamington National Park Road, Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements reconstruction works

The department is working on multiple locations along Lamington National Park Road which require pavement rehabilitation and permanent reconstruction work following record rainfall across south east Queensland since December 2020.

An unpaved road between a mountain and bollards

South Coast 2020–21 flood reconstruction works

Reconstruction works are underway across the South East Region, including the Gold Coast and Scenic Rim, to repair storm damaged roads.

Landslip on Gold Coast - Springbrook Road

Southern Queensland 2022 flood reconstruction works

Repairs are underway across southern Queensland after extensive and severe damage to the state-controlled road network was caused by multiple heavy rainfall and flooding events in 2022.