Bruce Highway flooding solutions and funding go begging as MPs fight it out

Drivers have long battled the dangers of flooding on Bruce Highway with pleas for cash and solutions to fix the thoroughfare drowned out in a political bun-fight. We reveal what’s causing the road blocks.

While two MPs dispute whose political party can fix the flooding fiasco that is the Bruce Highway in the Whitsundays, there is no solution in sight.

The he-said, she-said comes as Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey calls for feedback to inform the state government’s $15 million flood mitigation study for the Bruce Highway at Goorganga Plains and Myrtle Creek near Proserpine.

But even if the study identifies solutions, there is no money put aside for “design or construction”.

Further, it would seem the state government already has already chosen its solutions, before the business case is delivered, and before community consultation closes on April 14.

Mr Bailey previously revealed the study would target “greater flood capacity” through infrastructure like culverts, to “plan and preserve the road corridor” for a future upgrade.

Transport and Roads Minister Mark Bailey met with road crews along the Bruce Highway near Calen on Thursday, January 19, 2023, as part of his inspection following the rainfall event in North Queensland. Picture: Heidi Petith

Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm has now alleged the state government was “priorities (ing) projects in the South East over the safety of regional Australians”.

She further contested where funding for the study derived from.

“Minister Bailey should have been honest with the people of the Whitsundays and just said that the $12m, that the previous Federal Coalition Government put on the table since 2018 to start the planning for Goorganga has sat idle as the Queensland Government has prioritised projects in the South East over the safety of regional Australians,” Ms Camm said.

She also queried whether the study was a smoke-and-mirrors exercise to distract from a delay to the Hamilton Plains Upgrade.

Flooding at Hamilton Plains. Picture: Whitsunday Regional Council

“The previous Coalition Federal Government committed $29.6 million to the Hamilton Plains project in 2019 under the Roads of Strategic Importance Funding,” Ms Camm said.

“Since then the LNP has been dragging the Queensland Government to get on board with the project.

“Not only did the Queensland Government reallocate $16m of these funds to other projects, in a reply to my Question on Notice in parliament in 2022, the Minister announced that the

Government was now taking a co-ordinated approach to addressing the flood resilience of Myrtle Creek, Hamilton Plains and Goorganga Plains together, a point which Minister Bailey reiterated in his release again this week.”

Drone images of flooding at Thompson's Creek on the Bruce Highway at Goorganga Plains looking north. Photos: Robert Murolo

Both Goorganga Plains and Myrtle Creek sections are notorious for flooding under heavy rain with the former making national headlines in January when aerial photographs of a semi-submerged truck exemplified the modern-day conundrum thousands of North Queenslanders find themselves in every wet season.

The Bruce Highway is regularly cut in two with residents, tourists, backpackers and truck drivers forced to camp on the roadside.

When this publication earlier asked whether Labor would be willing to be visionary by spend the money needed to properly fix Goorganga Plains, he labelled the question “hypothetical” before spruiking Labor’s “record” $13 billion Bruce Highway Upgrade Program rollout.

Flood resilience projects under the $13 billion Bruce Highway Upgrade

Already completed:

Cattle Creek and Frances Creek Upgrade ($88 million)

Haughton River and Pink Lilly Lagoon upgrade ($409 million)

Realign and raise Highway from Sandy Corner – Collinsons Lagoon ($48 million)

Yellow Gin Creek Bridge upgrade ($15 million)

Sandy Gully Bridge upgrade ($32 million)

Yeppen Flood Plain upgrade ($148 million)

Saltwater Creek upgrade ($103 million)

Under planning, design or construction:

Jumper Creek upgrade ($23 million) – In construction

Tiaro Flood Immunity Upgrade ($336 million) – In design

Dallachy Road Flood Immunity Upgrade ($11 million) – Planning

Other projects having scope of flood resilience, in addition to the safety and capacity upgrade are:

Cooroy to Curra section C ($217 million) – Completed

Caboolture-Bribie Island Road to Steve Irwin Way upgrade ($663 million) – In construction

Cooroy to Curra section D ($1 billion) – In construction

Rockhampton Ring Road ($1.065 billion) – In Design

Vantassel to Cluden Upgrade ($154 million) – Completed

There are several planning-only projects contributing to flood resilience. For these projects, funds are available only for the initial planning and preservation of the corridor:

Ingham to Cardwell Range Deviation – Plan and Preserve ($48 million)

Burdekin Deviation – Plan and Preserve ($48 million)

Goorganga Plains – Plan and Preserve ($15 million)

Information: Department of Main Roads