Bruce Highway—Pine River to Caloundra Road Smart Motorways Stage 2

Preliminary design work activities for the Bruce Highway – Pine River to Caloundra Road Smart Motorways Stage 2 project are now underway.

The project will deliver additional Smart Motorways technology along the 60km link of the Bruce Highway between the Pine River and Caloundra Road interchange.

This will further expand the network of Smart Motorways technology that has been operating on the Bruce Highway southbound between Uhlmann Road and the Pine River since 2015.

Smart Motorways technology manages traffic in real-time to reduce stop-start travel, improve safety, and offer more reliable travel times.

Benefits

  • Improves safety
  • Improves network efficiency
  • Reduces peak hour congestion
  • Reduces travel time
  • Contributes to economy
  • Contributes to regional growth

Key features

  • Ramp signals at highway entry ramps to manage traffic entering the highway.
  • Variable speed limit signs to notify motorists of speed limit changes in response to an incident or changes in road conditions.
  • Variable message signs to communicate with motorists about changes in road conditions.
  • Vehicle detection systems that capture data to enable the operation of Smart Motorways technology.
  • CCTV cameras to monitor real-time traffic conditions.

Funding

The project is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments on an 80:20 basis.

Total investment
$105 million
Australian Government
$84 million
Queensland Government
$21 million

Current status

The business case was completed in November 2020. Some early detailed design activities are now underway for the Smart Motorways Stage 2 project, with detailed design scheduled to be completed in mid-2021. Construction is due to commence in early 2022, weather and construction conditions permitting.

As part of the early works activities, Wireless Traffic Sensors (WTS) will be installed at priority locations along the 60km stretch of the Bruce Highway and at other locations of the adjoining network. WTS use Bluetooth technology that anonymously identify individual cars as they pass a sensor location, and are used to monitor travel times, traffic flow and speed. These additional sensors will provide the coverage and resolution necessary to accurately monitor the performance of the highway in real-time.