$9bn Bruce Hwy fix would not cost much more than Brisbane 2032 venues

New state government modelling shows how the cost of fixing the Bruce Highway compares to that of building Olympic venues.

Premier Steven Miles (centre) with Transport Minister Bart Mellish and State Development Minister Grace Grace on Wednesday. Picture: Annette Dew

Ensuring every part of Queensland’s major highway meets the most basic of safety standards will cost not much more than the money allocated for venues for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, new state government modelling shows.

For the first time, Premier Steven Miles has revealed the price tag of ensuring every single section of the Bruce Highway has at least three out of five stars for safety – as calls grow for bipartisan support to finally “finish” the deadly road, which has claimed more than 20 lives already this year.

The $9bn price tag is only $2bn more than the budgeted spend on venues for the Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is split 50-50 between the state and federal governments.

The Courier-Mail’s Help Our Highway campaign has been advocating for a commitment ahead of next year’s federal election from both sides of government to fix the entire length of the Bruce.

Premier Steven Miles has written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this month requesting a $1bn funding boost for four urgent Bruce Highway upgrades, with the state offering to pitch in $250m.

Priority upgrades under the proposed funding package include Gin Gin to Benaraby, St Lawrence to Mackay, Mackay to Proserpine and Bowen to Ayr – four dangerous crash hotspots with the lowest safety ratings.

Bruce Highway traffic at a standstill near Mackay after an accident last month

“I believe an 80:20 split is appropriate considering the strategic importance and the well-established historical 80:20 funding split for investment in this corridor,” Mr Miles said.

“As a sign of good faith, the Queensland government is prepared to take on the financial risk of any cost escalation of the works beyond the $1.25bn commitment, noting that this risk will be mitigated by a staged and scalable delivery approach.”

Mr Miles said early research by the Department of Transport and Main Roads has shown it will cost a minimum of $9bn to bring the entire 1700km stretch of road up to a three-star safety rating.

The latest $1.25bn Targeted Bruce Highway Safety Package joint-funding proposal would fast-track upgrades across all four areas until 2028, with works to begin as early as next year.

It comes after AAMI released new crash data showing eight of the 10 most common crash locations in Queensland were situated along the Bruce.

Mr Miles is expected to discuss the proposal with Mr Albanese today in Cairns.

The Premier on Wednesday revealed both Mr Albanese and federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine King had been provided an updated list of priority projects for the Bruce Highway in Canberra last week, as the state government bids for increased federal funding.

Mr Miles said he felt the federal government was genuine about its intentions to fix the Bruce, but any funding discussions are preliminary in the absence of a budget cycle.

Bruce Highway upgrade priority sections:

• Gin Gin to Benaraby (section 10D)

• St Lawrence to Mackay (section 10G)

• Mackay to Proserpine (section 10H)

• Bowen to Ayr (section 10K)