Bruce Highway, Cairns Southern Access Corridor (Stage 3), Edmonton to Gordonvale, construction
A total transport solution is being undertaken to provide long-term improvements to traffic flow and road safety through reducing congestion, highway travel time and improving road access.
A 10.5km upgrade and duplication of the Bruce Highway between Edmonton and Gordonvale is being delivered. The project is Stage 3 of the Cairns Bruce Highway Upgrade Master Plan released in 2010.
This project will deliver significant safety improvements along this section of the Bruce Highway, which is the busiest 2-lane section of the Bruce Highway between Brisbane and Cairns.
Under the 15-year, $13 billion Bruce Highway Upgrade Program, the department is continuing to invest in safety, flood resilience and capacity upgrades along the Bruce Highway between Brisbane and Cairns.
Benefits
- Improves safety
- Increases capacity
- Improves network efficiency
- Increases traffic flow
- Reduces peak hour congestion
- Better road access
- Contributes to regional growth
- Better active transport
- Contributes to economy
Key features
- Duplication of all existing 2 lane sections of the Bruce Highway between Edmonton and Gordonvale to 4 lanes.
- A new alignment for the Bruce Highway to the eastern side of the existing highway between Petersen Road and Warner Road.
- A new signalised intersection at Petersen Road and upgraded signalised intersections at Draper Road and Riverstone Road.
- Over 10km of new service roads to remove local trips from the highway.
- Realignment and upgrade of 4.5km of the Queensland Rail North Coast Line to accommodate the duplicated highway.
- Removal of multiple at grade rail crossings and upgrade of boom gates at other crossings.
- New road and rail bridges at Wrights Creek and Stoney Creek.
- New Bruce Highway road overpass south of Maitland Road connecting Pine Creek-Yarrabah Road and Maitland Road.
- Relocation of existing cane rail lines at locations to accommodate the duplicated highway.
- A new pedestrian overpass south of Draper Road, a new pedestrian underpass north of Draper Road and pedestrian path on the Bruce Highway road overpass south of Maitland Road.
- A dedicated off-road high-speed cycleway from Riverstone Road to tie into the existing pathway at Thompson Road.
- Several intersections and direct accesses to the existing Bruce Highway will either be partially closed or removed to improve traffic flow and increase road safety on the highway.
- Changes to the highway completed through this project will allow the posted speed to be 100km/hr from north of the Draper Road intersection to south of Petersen Road intersection.
Infrastructure naming (submissions closed)
Infrastructure naming submissions are now closed. Thank you to everyone who put forward a submission.
The naming committee will now review all submissions and make a recommendation—check back later for announcement details.
Note: Certain aspects of the scope included in this concept design may change as design progresses.
Funding
The project is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments on an 80:20 (federal:state) basis. Investment ID 383276
- Total investment
- $481 million
- Australian Government
- $384.8 million
- Queensland Government
- $96.2 million
Project flyover
Current status
Earthworks and pavement works have commenced and are continuing across multiple sections of the project. Realignment of Queensland Rail’s North Coast Line has been completed for approximately 1km of the 4.5km of network being upgraded. Cane rail network upgrades are almost completed with the final location for upgrade currently underway. Construction of new local road connections remain ongoing.Project map
