Bruce Highway sections from Brisbane to Cairns ranked for safety

A detailed survey of the embattled Bruce Highway has revealed that sections of the road in North Queensland “are the worst we’ve seen them”.

Emergency services respond to a single-vehicle accident on the Bruce Highway between Ingham and Townsville. Picture: Cameron Bates

A noted economist and a retired health professional have completed a detailed survey of the embattled Bruce Highway, revealing that sections of the 1,679-kilometre road “are the worst we’ve seen them”, particularly in North Queensland.

James Cook University Adjunct Professor Colin Dwyer and Dr Tracy Cheffins said their eighth Bruce survey, named ‘The Good, The Bad and the Ugly’, had revealed some improvements over the last eight years “but more work is required to bring this crucial road up to acceptable safety levels.”

The pair drove the highway from July 10 to 23, collecting safety data that allowed them to compare and rank regions and electorates.

“Unsurprisingly, we found many northern sections of the Bruce highway failed our safety check,” Professor Dwyer said.

“We found that despite recent overtaking lane additions and road patchwork, Bowen to Home Hill had the worst combined safety standards on the Bruce, followed by the Proserpine to Bowen section and the Marlborough Stretch.”

Townsville economist Colin Dwyer on top of Castle Hill. Picture: Supplied

He said the worst seven sections of the road were all above Gladstone.

“The only northern section to make the top three was Home Hill to Townsville, which was upgraded between 2017 and 2020.”

Professor Dwyer said the government needed to take responsibility for the road it built, particularly given the face the Commonwealth is based on universal service delivery. “Someone in Hobart, Brisbane or Adelaide should not have safer regional roads than the people of regional Queensland.”

Two people were killed after single-vehicle rollover on the Bruce Highway north of Ingham earlier this year. Picture: Cameron Bates

The report found all but one of the northern sections of the Bruce highway failed the safety check.

Bowen to Home Hill had the worst combined safety standards followed by Proserpine to Bowen and the Marlborough Stretch.

Pine Rivers (Brisbane) to Curra (Gympie) was consistently the best section for OT lanes, road defects, narrow bridges and comparative road safety.

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly:

1) Pine River to Curra: 165 kilometres

2) Curra to Apple Tree Creek (Bundaberg turnoff): 131 kilometres

3) Home Hill to Townsville: 86 kilometres

4) Apple Tree Creek to Benaraby (Gladstone and Tannum Sands turnoff): 189.5 kilometres

5) Cardwell to Cairns: 166 kilometres

6) Benaraby to Etna Creek (includes Rocky northern approach, which is all new): 120 kilometres

7) Sarina to Proserpine: 153.4 kilometres, including new Mackay bypass

8) Townsville to Cardwell Range: 165 kilometres

9) Etna Creek to Sarina: 280 kilometres

10) Proserpine to Bowen: 70 kilometres

11) Bowen to Home Hill: 100 kilometres

Photos from the aftermath of an accident on the Bruce Highway just south of Ingham that left three people from Townsville badly injured. Picture: Cameron Bates

Professor Dwyer and Dr Cheffins said they had undertaken the survey “because we care about the people who use and depend on this vital facility”.

Other key findings include:

• There are only two overtaking (OT) lanes per 100 kilometres on the Etna Creek to Sarina section compared to 15.3 OT lanes per 100 kilometres on the Curra to Apple Tree creek section

• On average, OT lanes are longer in southern sections of the Bruce compared to northern regions

• There are over 160 narrow bridges north of Sarina, more than double the amount south of Sarina

• Almost all of the very narrow bridges (no verge and no median strip) were between Bowen and Cairns

• Above average numbers of road defects (potholes, deformities and rough sections) occurred between Etna Creek and Home Hill, on over 650 kilometres of the highway

• Bowen to Home Hill had the worst density of potholes with 88 per 100 kilometres

• The Pine Rivers to Gympie section had no potholes and very few road deformities

• The worst section for median separation was Bowen to Home Hill with 40 kilometres of no median strip in seven different sections

• Townsville to Cardwell had 36 kilometres with no median strip

• No animal fences above Noosa, other than a fence section near El Arish to protect cassowaries

• Inconsistent use of speed limits

Supplied image from a passenger of a Greyhound bus and caravan crash near Gumlu. The bus driver looking out at the damage after the crash. The accident occurred on the worst-ranked stretch of the Bruce Highway. Picture: Supplied

Professor Dwyer noted that NSW had a dual-lane separated carriage way, asking “Why can’t the people of North Queensland have the same?”

Dr Cheffins also noted that places such as Victoria and Sweden had centre and verge barriers to reduce fatalities from head-on and run-off road crashes.

She said there were few centre barriers north of Gympie, apart from a limited number of short sections close to the major centres.

“We counted 50 significant highway bends without any verge barriers,” she said.

“The Bruce south of Gympie has verge barriers, as do the Pacific and Victorian regional highways.”

Professor Dwyer and Dr Cheffins agreed that drivers also needed to take responsibility for their actions, drive to the conditions and avoid the fatal five.

“We also agree with countries like Sweden that have actioned safer road system policies and legislated that officials should take responsibility for the quality of roads they build,” Professor Dwyer said.

“Ordinary drivers, making ordinary mistakes should not kill themselves or others.”

Originally published as Bruce Highway sections from Brisbane to Cairns ranked for safety