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.
- Gabay Gubudala pedestrian overpass south of Draper Road, a new pedestrian underpass north of Draper Road and pedestrian path on the Menmuny Overpass overpass south of Maitland Road.
- Luke Azzopardi Cycleway, 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
We are proud to announce 10 new pieces of infrastructure have been officially named on the project, following more than 50 public submissions.
The new names recognise the Edmonton and Gordonvale area's local identities and rich Indigenous culture.
- Gabay Gubudala (ga-buy gooboo-daala) Overpass, for the pedestrian overpass at Gordonvale. Gabay means 'path' and Gubudala means 'to Gordonvale' in the local Yidinji dialect.
- Menmuny (MEN-murn-ih) Overpass, for the Pine Creek – Yarrabah Road / Maitland Road overpass. Menmuny was an Indigenous leader for the area.
- Bama (BUM-uh) Way Road, for the Jones Road / Pine Creek – Yarrabah Road connector. Bama is the Indigenous word for 'people', commonly used by the Yidinji-speaking Indigenous people of the Cairns area.
- Djarragun (JARRUH-gurn) Way, for the Old Bruce Highway / New Maitland Road connector. The Yindinji name for Walsh's Pyramid is Djarragun.
- John Davies Bridge, for the Wrights Creek bridge. Mr John and Mrs Eliza Davies are buried 200m upstream from Wrights Creek bridge. Mr Davies was an active and well-respected member of the Gordonvale community.
- Kamma (KAMM-uh) Road, for the Warner Road to Harris Road connector. The word 'kamma' has been associated with the area for thousands of years by the Yidinji people, and also for generations of more recent settlers, who named a railway stop in that area Kamma after the Indigenous word.
- Jashar Bridge, for the Stoney Creek bridge. The Jashar family were, and remain, respected and active members of the Gordonvale community.
- Clyde Coleman Bridge, for the Collinson Creek cycleway bridge. Mr Coleman lived close to the bridge and was a prominent naturalist, with 6 spider species named after him.
- Luke Azzopardi Cycleway, for the Gordonvale to Cairns cycleway. Mr Azzopardi was a Gordonvale resident who was well-respected and made significant contributions to sport and the community during his short life.
- Warren and Linda Pitt Way, for the section of the Bruce Highway from Gordonvale to Edmonton. Mr Pitt is a former long-serving member of the Queensland Parliament for the seat of Mulgrave. Mr and Mrs Pitt remain active and respected members of the Gordonvale community.
Thank you to everyone who put forward a submission.
Gabay Gubudala Pedestrian Overpass concept
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
- $535 million
- Australian Government
- $428.01 million
- Queensland Government
- $106.99 million
Project flyover
Video Transcript
We are upgrading the Bruce Highway between Edmonton and Gordonvale.
This is one of the busiest two-lane sections of the Bruce Highway between Cairns and Brisbane.
This exciting $481 million project will deliver a total transport solution, long-term improvements to traffic flow and road safety for all motorists catering for the future population growth of the southern corridor to Cairns We are duplicating the Bruce Highway to have four-lanes between Edmonton and Gordonvale.
A new signalised intersection will be constructed at Petersen Road.
New road and rail bridges will be built at Stoney Creek and Wrights Creek We're also building a new Bruce Highway overpass connecting to both Pine-Creek Yarrabah Road and Maitland Road which will greatly improve highway access, safety and connectivity.
Upgrades to the signalised intersections at Draper Road and Riverstone Road will improve traffic flow for motorists Several intersections and highway accesses will be either partially closed or removed to improve road safety on the highway Works include the realignment and upgrade of sections of Queensland Rail’s North Coast Line to accommodate the duplicated highway.
Better, safer facilities will be provided for cyclists and the active transport community with a new full length, off-road cycleway.
Upgrades delivered through this project will increase the posted speed between Edmonton and Gordonvale to 100km/hr.
We're investing in the future of North Queensland by delivering projects which will support safety, and population growth We’re committed to bringing you a more efficient highway motoring experience, to get you where you need to be safely and on time.
Current status
Pavement works have been completed across multiple sections of the project. Realignment and upgrade of 4.5km of Queensland Rail's North Coast Line was completed in April 2022. Bridge construction is progressing at Wrights Creek and Stoney Creek, and works are progressing for the Gabay Gubudala and Menmuny Overpasses.
The first section of realigned Bruce Highway, between Riverstone Road and Draper Road, was opened to motorists on 23 June 2022.
The second realigned section of the Bruce Highway between north of Draper Road and Maitland Road was opened on 29 June 2022.
Project map
View Bruce Highway, Cairns Southern Access Corridor (Stage 3), Edmonton to Gordonvale, construction project map
Project timeline
November 2017
Building Queensland business case approved
December 2017
Reference design released
October 2018
Early Contractor Involvement commenced
October 2019
Contract awarded to John Holland Seymour White AECOM Joint Venture
October 2019
Design works commenced
Mid-2020
Preliminary construction commences
Late 2020
Design completion
Mid-2023
Construction completion, weather permitting
Traffic switch from north of Draper Road to Wrights Creek complete Edmonton to Gordonvale project
Video Transcript
[Aerial view of Bruce Highway]
[New lanes open]
[Aerial view of the new lanes from north of Draper Road to Wrights Creek]
[Aerial view of Menmuny Overpass construction northbound]
[Aerial view of Maitland Road intersection northbound]
[Aerial view of Djarragun Way northbound]
Local road connections completed on the Edmonton to Gordonvale project
Video Transcript
[Aerial view of Stanley Street northbound]
[Aerial view of Stanley Street southbound]
[Aerial view of Pine Creek - Yarrabah Road southbound]
[Aerial view of Littles Road southbound]
Traffic Switch from Riverstone Road to Draper Road complete on the Edmonton to Gordonvale project
Queensland Rail Northern Connection on the Edmonton to Gordonvale project
Video Transcript
[Aerial view of day construction work of the Queensland Rail Northern Connection]
[Aerial view of night construction work of the Queensland Rail Northern Connection]
[Aerial view of day construction work of the Queensland Rail Northern Connection]
[Aerial view of night construction work of the Queensland Rail Northern Connection]
[Aerial view of day construction work of the Queensland Rail Northern Connection]
[Aerial view of night construction work of the Queensland Rail Northern Connection]
[Aerial view of day construction work of the Queensland Rail Northern Connection]
Wrights Creek flyover on the Edmonton to Gordonvale project
Video Transcript
[Sped up aerial video passing over Wrights Creek bridge construction site]
[Aerial view of construction area for new lanes of the Bruce Highway]
Progress of works on the Edmonton to Gordonvale project
Video Transcript
[Drone video of concrete piles being lifted into place on the Menmuny Overpass.]
[Flyover of the Wright’s Creek bridge construction site before piling and after piling commencement.]
[Earth works as part of construction for the realignment of the North Coast line.]
[Construction machinery driving along the realigned North Coast line.]
[Specialised train shaping crushed rock base on a rail track.]
[Vibration machinery stabilising rail track under construction.]
[Workers using equipment to check the level of the train track.]
[Tamping machine in use on the train track.]
North Coast line connection complete first train
Video Transcript
[Aerial view of Bruce Highway and realigned North Coast Line]
[Aerial video of passenger train using new rail]
[Passenger train moving past viewer]
[Aerial view of new rail in use]
Queensland Rail Southern connection works complete on the Edmonton to Gordonvale project
Video Transcript
[Specialised train shaping crushed rock base on a rail track.]
[Vibration machinery stablising rail track under construction.]
[Workers using equipment to check the level of the train track.]
[Tamping machine in use on the train track.]
[Rail worker cutting rail with power tools]
[Rail workers thermite welding rail track together.]
Queensland Rail Southern connection works complete on the Edmonton to Gordonvale project interviews
Video Transcript
[Steve] The Queensland component of the Edmonton project was the realignment of 4.5km of rail. The realignment was required due to the constraints within the existing TMR corridor width and in order to facilitate dual-laning from Edmonton to Gordonvale we've had to realign some of the Queensland Rail line.
[David] During this particular rail possession, the project was able to successfully slew the existing QR track on to its new alignment. So in terms of the overall project, this was a very significant milestone. The rail position refers to a period of time when the tracks are temporarily closed and trains are excluded from running on the network. We had a 70 hour position window to be able to complete our scope of works before handing the tracks back to QR.
[Steve] The crew here worked 24-7 in that 70 hours in order to accommodate the slew. The collaboration between Transport Main Roads, HSA (John Holland, Seymour White, AECOM) and Queensland Rail has been extremely important on this project. Transport and Main Roads doesn't realign rail infrastructure very often, so utilizing the expertise in order to accommodate this realignment has been extremely important.
[David] One of the key considerations for the rail possession was selecting the right team to do the works, especially under a rail environment where we've got extreme time pressures. During a possession environment, once the tracks are certified and handed back, it could be less than 2 hours before the first passenger train comes through our new track contract, so there is no margin for error.
[Barry] This project brought a lot out and I think it's going to pave a way in future. This project is the first I've been involved in as a third-party way. It's communicating what is actually required and our safety requirements. The North Coast line is a critical part of infrastructure for the state of Queensland.
Even though transport and road transport is also critical, rail, which I think anyone will know is of utmost importance because of the amount it can haul. At least probably 50 wagons, which takes a lot of vehicles off the road. We've had 455 passenger trains up over this section trucks. We had 1,549 trains over the 2020 period.
This project, I think, has set a fantastic foundation for the understanding. There's been a lot of complexities in this. You're all out there to do one job and I've been privileged to be on it.
Cane rail works complete on the Edmonton to Gordonvale project
Video Transcript
[Rock music plays]
[Tamping machine in operation]
[Tamping machine cabin interior]
[Tamping machine exterior]
[Positioning of cane train rail]
[Aerial image of rail works]
[Cane train rail form work]
[Construction workers on site]
[Close up of cane rail]
[Blow torch in use]
[Worker grinding cane rail join]
[Close up of rail weld point]
[Machinery dumping crushed rock]
[Aerial image of cane rail]
[Rail sweeper in use]
[Aerial of rail construction]
[Rail workers posing]
[Cane train in use on new track]
View Bruce Highway, Cairns Southern Access Corridor (Stage 3), Edmonton to Gordonvale, construction project map
