Bruce Hwy claims 33 lives: Premier vows to fix deadly ‘goat track’

Three people a month have been killed on the notorious Bruce Hwy this year with the state government promising a “long-term strategy” which the Opposition says is “not going to save a single life”.

Three people a month have been killed on the Bruce Highway so far this year amid the state’s spiralling road toll, with Premier David Crisafulli promising to do more to fix Queensland’s “goat track”.

The newly-minted government’s first action will be reconstituting an advisory body to sort out a “long-term strategy” for the highway — a move the Opposition believes won’t save a single life.

A total of 33 people have died on the 1697km Bruce Highway so far this year according to figures from peak motoring body RACQ, already higher than the annual five-year average of 31.

An aerial view of the site of the triple fatal at the intersection of Walker St and the Bruce Highway in Maryborough.

This includes the deaths of a 13-year-old boy and a 40-year-old woman in a horror crash at Raglan near Gladstone on Tuesday night.

Shocking photos have revealed the impact of a prime mover which allegedly struck their Nissan Navara from behind.

On the same night a 31-year-old woman died in a crash at Gordonvale, near Cairns.

The climbing death toll on the Bruce Highway has also put Queensland on track to record its worst year across all roads in 2024, with 259 people already killed this year with six weeks still to go.

Mr Crisafulli said the state government must “do more” on the Bruce Highway, vowing to get an advisory body up-and-running by the end of the year as promised while continuing to pile pressure on the federal government to put forward a larger share of cash for the road.

He said crashes like in Raglan — where a man has been charged — sends regional communities into a “real sense of despair”.

“We have to do more on the Bruce and no is suggesting that on a long road like that, that you won’t have incidents, but we can do much better for Queenslanders who drive it,” he said.

“It’s the lifeblood of regional Queensland. It is the only option, and we have to get it up to a standard, because right now, it’s a goat track.”

Emily Barnett's memorial on the side of the Bruce Highway at Midgee. Picture: Aden Stokes

The LNP had promised, if elected, to reconvene the Bruce Highway Trust Advisory Council by the end of 2024 in order to craft a long-term strategy that Mr Crisafulli said would be “best bang for buck” regardless of electorate politics.

Mr Crisafulli said the moves to reconstitute the body were on track, as per the newly-minted Transport Minister Brent Mickleberg’s ministerial charter letter.

The charter letter stated the minister would “hold the Federal Government accountable to the longstanding 80:20 funding contribution for the Bruce Highway and provide a long-term upgrade plan to bring the Bruce Highway up to safety standards by reinstating a Bruce Highway Advisory Council”.

Federal transport minister Catherine King has previously been unequivocal that the Albanese government would stick to its decision to make states stump up an equal share of funding after scrapping the 80:20 rule in the wake of an infrastructure review.

RACQ public policy head Dr Michael Kane warned the Bruce Highway was not up to standard and was under increasing pressure amid increased traffic, with the peak motoring body also calling for the federal government to fall back to 80:20 funding.

A serious truck crash on the Bruce Hwy. Picture: Seven News

The number of people killed on the Bruce Highway this year is already above the 2023 death toll of 31, with six weeks of the year and the horror holiday season still to come.

Dr Kane said people were three to five times more likely to die or be involved in a serious injury on the Bruce Highway compared to the Hume and the Pacific Highways in Victoria and New South Wales.

“We are calling for the federal government to put in the 80 in the state, the 20, but it also needs a 10 year funding commitment to fix the Bruce,” he said.

Opposition Leader Steven Miles said the LNP’s promised advisory committee was “not going to save a single life”.

Heartfelt tributes, including bright pink flowers and a small stuffed toy, now mark the spot of a tragic crash that took the life of a 15-year-old girl in Townsville at an intersection off the Bruce Highway and Deeragun Rd at Deeragun. Photo: Jami Roberts

“It’s not going to make any kilometre of the Bruce Highway any safer,” he said.

“I think everyone will be incredibly disappointed to hear David Crisafulli’s answer is to convene an advisory committee.

“Those immediate safety upgrades are before the Australian government right now and if he is going to be good to his word that he would deliver those projects because they’re what will make the Bruce Highway safe.”

A total of 259 people have died on Queensland’s roads this year, 16 more than this time in 2023.

Queensland Police Service Chief Superintendent road policing Garrath Channells said 259 lives lost on the road was a tragedy.

“We’ve had an additional 16 lives lost on our road network in total across the state of Queensland,” he said.

“That’s a concerning trend in and of itself, even with the addition of all the improved driver safety age that we’re starting to see in modern vehicles, we’re seeing this concerning trend of motorists not taking appropriate steps to ensure their own safety.

“They’re not complying with road rules and legislation, fatigue and attention, speeding, failure to wear seat belts as a raft of factors that are contributing to these fatal traffic crashes, including driving while impaired, whether that be drug or drink driving.”