Bruce Hwy upgrade: Woman marks anniversary of boyfriend’s death

News of an upgrade to the Bruce Highway comes at a bittersweet time for a young Queensland woman mourning her partner.

Gabrielle Doyle and Brendan Rigano

A woman who lost her high school sweetheart almost a year ago on the Bruce Highway has welcomed the federal government’s announcement of a $7bn upgrade, saying she hoped they prioritised the areas up north that have been neglected.

Gabrielle Doyle lost her beloved partner Brendan Rigano on January 14, 2024, in a Bruce Highway crash.

Mr Rigano, 20, an experienced rider, was heading back to his Innisfail home on his motorcycle when it is believed wet conditions caused him to lose control and crash just minutes from his destination.

“I think it’s good that they’re finally doing something about it, even if it gets to just a three-star rating it’s better than what it is now,” Ms Doyle said.

Gabrielle Doyle is facing the first anniversary of her boyfriend Brendan Rigano’s death. Picture: Brendan Radke

“Just something in general needs to be done about the highway, it’s been overlooked and not done, like I know that it’s not the best condition especially in the regions that aren’t as well looked after, or as populated but there’s still have a lot of traffic.

“So I definitely think this is a step in the right direction for them to make that change.”

Ms Doyle said the area from Ingham to Innisfail needed to be fixed as soon as possible, with wild weather constantly creating potholes.

“We also get a lot of tourists up here who don’t drive to our conditions, so if they can make it better than that's a lot safer,” she said.

But despite the massive win for the Bruce Highway, Ms Doyle admitted she felt nowhere near ready as she faced the one-year anniversary of the loss.

“Everything this year has been a first without him ... and I think along with Christmas and New Year’s it’s hard because I’m going into another year without him,” she said.

“I’ve sort of described it in a way to people as I want this year to be over, but I don’t want to start the new year, I want to just sort of sit at the 31st, just sit in time and not move.”

Gabrielle Doyle and Brendan Rigano

She said the loss still felt very fresh.

“But it is a bit unbelievable that we’re already coming up to that one year ... and to think about how fast that time has gone without him here is a bit unbelievable,” Ms Doyle said.

“It just shows that time just continues on, it doesn’t stop for anyone.”

Her much-loved partner Mr Rigano will be remembered and celebrated on January 14.

“Christmas, New Year’s and the one year I think are going to be the hardest, and I can already feel in my body that this just isn’t the same Christmas, it’s not the same New Year’s, and I know that nothing will ever be the same of because of that,” Ms Doyle said.

“But now I know if you have an opportunity, you’ve got to sort of take it, because you don’t know when something will change.

“You need to just live in the moment, which is what Brendan always did, and I’m glad he did what he did when he had the time.”