Bruce Highway, (Ingham – Innisfail) Ingham to Cardwell Range Deviation, plan and preserve corridor

The department has been actively working with the community to address the challenges associated with the Bruce Highway from South of Ingham to the Cardwell Range.

This 16km section, is prone to flooding, which affects the reliability of this critical link between Townsville and Cairns. Recognising the significance of the highway connecting the far north with south-east Queensland and the southern states, the department has undertaken various measures to find a long-term solution.

Between 2008 and 2011, an options for future highway corridors were investigated. The primary objective was to find the best solution to improve the flood immunity of the Bruce Highway, enhance safety and level of service, and accommodate current and future traffic needs. Throughout the study extensive community engagement took place, involving landowners, businesses, local government, elected representatives and other stakeholders.

In addition, the department conducted:

  • environmental reviews
  • cultural heritage reviews
  • economic impact assessment
  • extensive flood modelling
  • environmental studies
  • engineering assessments
  • traffic assessments.

The investigation, reviews and assessment determined a preferred alignment, known as the Western 2A Deviation.

This alignment provided the best solution across a range of social, cultural, economic, engineering, cost, environment, and flooding considerations, and was found to have the lowest impact on the community. This alignment was gazetted as a future state-controlled road by the department in 2015.

Benefits

  • Improves safety
  • Improves flood immunity
  • Increases capacity
  • Improves network efficiency

Key features

  • A new alignment secured for the Bruce Highway from south of Ingham to the Cardwell Range.
  • Changes to this critical link of the highway to improve access in the wet season.
  • Progress the project toward a Business Case, after considering further community feedback.

Funding

This project is funded with $38.4 million from the Australian Government and $9.6 million from the Queensland Government.
Investment ID 399270

Total investment
$48 million
Australian Government
$38.4 million
Queensland Government
$9.6 million

Current status

Due to advocacy by some local stakeholders for an alternative corridor, east of the existing highway and closer to the Ingham township and the beachside communities within the shire, the department will be undertaking further community consultation. This is expected to commence in mid-2023 to determine if the Western 2A Deviation alignment is still the preferred option.

This will enable the department to investigate the potential for new eastern alignment, with a view to determining feasibility and the best option for the community.

The department anticipates it will take around 2 years to carry out further investigations and engagement activities to confirm broad corridor options for detailed investigation.

It is important to note, that there is no allocated funding for the design or construction of the project.

Community consultation

The department wants to know what you think about options being considered during this new planning phase.

Let the department know what's important to you. Talk to the project team at one of the community drop-in sessions which will be planned for late 2023.

Western 2A Deviation proposed alignment map

The map shows the locality of the existing Bruce Highway, from south of Ingham, north through the Gairloch floodway and up to the Cardwell Range. Cardwell is northeast of the map. A solid dark blue line west of the Bruce Highway indicates the current proposed Ingham to Cardwell deviation project corridor. This is known as the Western 2A Deviation, which has been gazetted as future state-controlled road. The local road network, including Halifax Road and Lannercost Street are also highlighted on the map.